The Second Time Around
by DivineEscape
Summary: After Santana and Brittany get a divorce, her friends come to help Santana through her rough time. During this time Santana and Quinn's friendship grows stronger. Will it eventually turn into more? Come find out! Quinntana. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Endgame for this story is Quinntana, with heavy Rachel friendship thrown in.**

 **This is a continuation from a chapter I had written in my "Love and Affection" Quinntana one-shot collection. People had asked for me to carry on with the story, so here it is! For those of you who have already read this chapter, feel free to read it again lol or you can just skip on over to chapter 2.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Second Time Around**_

Chapter 1

Santana stumbled down the street, Whisky bottle in one hand, phone in the other. It was really stupid of her too since it was hitting midnight and she was in New York City.

She fumbled through the numbers on her phone, her vision blurry as she tried to find the person she needed to call, but no matter how much she squinted or how close she brought the phone to her face, she still couldn't make out the names or numbers, so she opted to try the voice activation method.

"Call, Berry." Santana slurred into the phone, although it did nothing, since Santana was too drunk to even function, the ability to properly use her phone was highly unlikely, which in hindsight was probably a good thing, because it stopped her from drunk texting or calling Brittany several times. Thankfully though through a happy accident her thumb slipped and she hit Rachel's number, unknowingly calling the petite brunette, "Call. Berry." She yelled again, not realizing Rachel had indeed already answered.

"Santana?" Rachel questioned hearing a few curse words in Spanish before another, "Berry!?" was yelled through the phone causing her to pull it away from her ear.

"M-hello?" Santana hiccupped, "Hello?"

"Santana?" Rachel asked again looking at the time as she crawled out of her bed to peer out the window a crack of thunder signaling for the rain to start, prompting Santana to swear some more.

"I-I'm close to your apartment." Santana said picking up her pace to try and get out of the rain, "Berry, I need you." She pleaded missing a step to the stoop of Rachel's apartment, slamming her shoulder into the door, the glass bottle smashing in her hand. "What number are you? I'm just going to press all the buttons until you hear the buzz, kay?"

"Santana, no! You'll wake everyone." Rachel quickly responded, "I'm coming down to get you."

Santana's finger hovered over the first button, her face pressed against the brick wall, "Hurry up cuz imma bout to wake up everyone in this building. If I can't sleep, no one can."

"For goodness sake, just hang on." Rachel said quickly finding her coat and dashing out of her apartment and to the elevator, furiously pressing the button as if it would make it move faster. When Rachel did finally make it outside, she found her friend slumped on the first step staring at her hands, the rain pouring down on her. "Santana?"

"Yeah?" Santana asked not realizing the shivers overtaking her body and apparently the rain was no bother either.

Rachel opened her umbrella, carefully approaching her, "Let's go inside." She said crouching down next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Your hand is bleeding."

"The Whisky bottle smashed in my hand when I fell up the stairs." Santana said her voice holding zero emotions.

"Let me help you." Rachel said, sliding her hand around her bicep and gently tugging.

Santana only nodded, defeated enough to allow Rachel to guide her inside the building. She stumbled to Rachel's for a reason, she needed comfort, _wanted_ comfort and she knew without a doubt Rachel would give it to her. They took the elevator, both silent on the way up, Santana holding her injured hand while Rachel looped her arm through the taller girl's, on guard in case her intoxicated friend stumbled.

After the ding echoed, Rachel carefully led Santana out of the elevator and down the hall, quickly entering her apartment and going straight for the bathroom.

"Take your clothes off." Rachel softly said, the demand probably the most unadulterated way anyone had ever asked Santana to remove her clothing in her entire life. It was endearing and her voice was soft, everything Santana didn't know she had been craving and it made her want to cry and so she did.

They were silent tears that streamed down her face as Rachel tenderly helped her out of her wet attire, sniffling a few times, but every time she tried to fight it more tears betrayed her and poured out resembling the likes of a waterfall.

Rachel, one who was usually full of words stayed silent and simply sat Santana who was now clad in only her bra and underwear, on the toilet seat and gently took her face in her hands, doing her best to wipe the tears from under her eyes as she stared into them, "I'm going to take care of you." she promised, the warmth of her voice wrapping around her, making Santana felt at ease. She sniffled and nodded, using her shaking hands to wipe at her face not trusting her voice to speak just yet.

"Let me see your hand." Rachel said as she knelt in front of her, cradling Santana's hand in her own, relieved that the bleeding had almost stopped on its own, but it still needed to be bandaged up.

"It hurts." Santana groaned her voice hoarse and tired and on some higher level of instinct, Rachel had the feeling that she wasn't talking about the injury.

Rachel chewed her bottom lip with thought, feeling nothing but sympathy, knowing all too well the emotional pain Santana was going through. "It's going to take time, Santana, but you'll start to feel better."

Santana sat motionless, watching as Rachel poured rubbing alcohol over her hand, ready to pull her hand away, but she didn't even flinch when the sting registered with her brain. She preferred this kind of pain, it was physical and she knew it wouldn't last long, while the emotional pain that was burning inside her felt like it was going to last a life time.

Rachel tenderly wrapped a white bandage around the palm of Santana's hand when realization finally set in, it was her left and her eyebrows knitted together with gloom when she noticed her naked ring finger.

"I threw it in the harbor." Santana stated knowing exactly what Rachel was looking at.

Rachel sucked in a sharp breath, Santana's voice was so emotionless, she was worried before, but that feeling only increased when the confession was made with nothing but detachment.

Rachel reached up, combing her fingers through Santana's messy damp hair, her delicate fingers settling gently on her cheeks, using her thumbs to brush the fresh new tears away. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"I'm not tired."

Rachel stood up and let out a breath, taking Santana's hand to give her a tug of encouragement, "Well how about I get you some warm clothes then? You were out in the rain you have to be absolutely freezing."

"Okay." Santana answered quietly. There was no wit to her reply and no resistance, which Rachel was grateful for, but also concerned about. She stood up following Rachel out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, waiting and watching as Rachel rummaged through her dresser.

After a few minutes of searching, Rachel finally turned around to face her, holding up an oversized black t-shirt, the logo so worn and faded Santana couldn't even make out the saying on it, "It's one of my dad's." she said walking over to hand it to her.

"Thanks." Santana said taking it from her and pulling it over her head.

"I can stay up with you if you want to talk about it?" Rachel kindly offered, "Or you can watch television in the living room? What do you need, Santana?"

Santana stood there, a shiver running through her, the t-shirt was warm and clean, but her hair was still wet and the alcohol was wearing off and not only was she cold, she was miserable and sad. She didn't want to talk or watch TV, she knew exactly what she _did_ want though she just wasn't sure how to ask and she really wished Rachel would realize it and offer it instead of making her feel even more pathetic by having to ask.

"Rachel I..." Santana stammered, her fingers coming together to play nervously together, not realizing how close Rachel was until she felt a supportive hand on her bicep, a hand so reassuring as it slid up her arm and rested on her shoulder causing her to let out a grateful sigh when Rachel had seemed to figure out on her own exactly what Santana wanted and soon two small arms were wrapped around her neck and the petite brunette was pulling her into a hug. Santana's arms eagerly pulled her close another round of tears crashing through her as she drank in the comfort she had been longing for. "Thank you." she whispered, hiding her face in her neck, pretty certain that when she pulled back Rachel's shirt was going to be drenched, but she couldn't control it and every time Rachel whispered _"It's okay."_ It only made the tears fall even harder.

After several minutes Rachel pulled back, ignoring the groan of protest from the taller girl, simply guiding her over to the bed. She pulled the covers back motioning for Santana to crawl in, Rachel lying down next to her, opening her arms and letting Santana once again seek out the comfort she was so desperate for.

Santana curled into the smaller girl, feeling her arm wrap around her and fingers brush through her hair. They were intimately close and as Santana's hand slowly slid across Rachel's stomach to seek out her free hand to hold it only caused them to shift closer, but there was nothing sexual emitting from either of them. It was Rachel consoling Santana and for the first time in a long time there in that bed lying in Rachel's arms, Santana felt relaxed. Her ear was on her chest, so she chose to focus on the rhythm of her heartbeat and soon her tears subsided and her body stopped trembling and finally her eyes slowly slipped shut and she fell asleep.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was almost 3am when Rachel texted Quinn and at around 6:45am the blonde was climbing out of a taxi in the front of Rachel's apartment building.

The elevator dinged and Quinn didn't waste a beat, stepping off and heading down the hallway, pulling the spare key out that Rachel had given her, if ever she were in the city and needed a place to stay and Rachel weren't around. She unlocked the door and barged in setting her stuff down and shrugging her coat off heading straight into the bedroom.

"Hi." Rachel whispered watching as Quinn carefully manoeuvred around the bedroom and then climbed onto the bed on the other side of Santana. "She's in and out..." she informed her, stiffening when the girl in her arms stirred.

Santana was only lightly sleeping, so when the bed shifted indicating there was another person present, curiosity had her glancing over her shoulder to see who it was, the morning rise of the sun coming in through the window revealing Quinn.

"Hey." Quinn greeted with a sad smile.

Santana's bottom lip began to tremble upon seeing her face, Quinn especially, even though she didn't live in the city they had kept in contact and became much better friends than when they were in high school. It didn't take her long to roll out of Rachel's embrace and turn to face the blonde, "I-I-" her breath hitched in her throat, swallowing back a sob that was ready to rip through any second, so she hurried as she informed her, "I signed the divorce papers yesterday."

"Rachel told me." Quinn whispered, reaching out to cup her cheek.

"So you took a three hour train ride to come here?" Santana asked the genuineness of the action causing a whole new wave of emotions to wash over her.

"Well yeah." Quinn answered, her thumb brushing back and forth on her tearstained face, "You weren't answering my calls or texts. I knew what was going on, I was worried." She explained sliding her hand over her shoulder and down her arm until it reached her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I want to be here for you."

With a raspy voice and a fresh new round of tears to follow, Santana managed to grunt out a "Thank you."

"Anytime." Quinn promised, pulling on Santana's hand and opening her arms, allowing her to settle in and get comfortable before enclosing Santana in an embrace. She kissed the top of her head, running soothing circles on her back until eventually she had fallen asleep once again.

Rachel lifted her head up, resting it on her elbow, her and Quinn locking eyes, "That was really sweet of you to rush over here."

Quinn nodded and couldn't help put press another kiss to Santana's temple, "She needs us."

Rachel gave her a warm smile and then laid back down, the night finally catching up to her and her body begging her for sleep.

Quinn relaxed into the bed, Santana wrapping her fingers around her shirt, pressing her forehead against her chest, whimpering, proving that the sleep she was having was anything but peaceful.

"It's okay, San. I'm here for you." she said, pulling her closer and running her fingers through her hair, "I'm here." She repeated until her eyes slowly fluttered shut, her arms keeping their protective hold the entire time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I think it would be best if Santana stayed here for a while." Quinn suggested, her and Rachel talking quietly in the kitchen the next morning.

Rachel nodded as she softly fiddled with the kettle, pulling two mugs down so she could make Quinn and her some tea, "Oh absolutely. It's not even a second thought."

Quinn sighed and leaned back against the counter, her eyes on Rachel's bedroom door where Santana was finally sleeping. It was weird for her to see Santana like this, usually so tough and outspoken, reduced to tears and heartache caused by one of the sweetest people she had ever known...or so she thought.

"I'm going to spend the weekend." Quinn decided

Rachel nodded as she handed Quinn her mug of tea, watching the blonde carefully as the wheels in her head began to turn. Rachel wondered what she was thinking about. She sat front row to the Unholy Trinity friendship, during all their ups and downs. Quinn and Santana always butted heads in high school, Brittany always being the one to keep them together, but after high school things changed and soon Santana and Quinn didn't need Brittany to keep the peace anymore, the two had somehow worked passed their frenemies phase and finally became the best friends they should have been back at McKinley.

"I'm going to go talk to Brittany."

Rachel snapped out of her daze, quickly placing her hot tea on the counter, only so she could jut out a hand and place it on Quinn's shoulder. Brittany may have been in the wrong in the reason for the split, but she was still the sweet little innocent Brittany from high school. That was part of the problem though, while everyone grew up and charged into adulthood, Brittany didn't seem to change at all and Quinn definitely outgrew that and Rachel knew she wouldn't let her off the hook so easily. Not that she deserved to be let off the hook, but coming from Quinn she figured would be too much for Brittany to handle.

"No!"

Quinn's eyebrows creased by the sudden objection, slowly turning to face the shorter girl, "I want to know why she hurt Santana."

"Kurt's is already there." Rachel said, her hand sliding to Quinn's forearm to give it a reassuring squeeze, "I know during these past few years, some of our friendships haven't been the same..." Rachel began, "You and Brittany don't exactly have a lot in common anymore, other than the fact that she _was_ married to Santana." She quickly said, "I just think Brittany is probably hurting too and you favouring Santana over her could cause more harm."

Quinn took a sip of the hot beverage, pondering over what Rachel had just said. It was true she had grown closer to Santana ever since they all graduated high school, which surprised even her since she didn't even live in the same city. She thanked Mr. Schue's wedding for that, if it wasn't for that night her and Santana shared, she wondered if a bond would have ever happened, and of course for Rachel always being persistent on everyone always making time for each other, no matter how great the distance. She couldn't help but smirk to herself, the blonde and raven haired beauty once thrived on making each other miserable and now Quinn couldn't stand to see Santana hurt in anyway, especially right now. Maybe Rachel was right, going to confront Brittany would probably end badly.

"Stay here until Kurt calls." Rachel pleaded.

Quinn sighed, but then nodded, letting the tea scolded her anger down, it flaming out for the time being. "Okay." She whispered, her attention moving back to the bedroom door when it slowly creaked open.

Santana made her way over to the kitchen, definitely feeling two sets of eyes watching her, but she didn't care. She had a headache and was still tired, so she silently went about her business searching the cupboards for ibuprofen.

"What do you need, Santana?" Rachel asked, watching as the other girl rummaged through her kitchen.

"I have a headache." Santana mumbled.

"I have some Advil in the bathroom." Rachel answered heading in that direction, leaving her and Quinn alone.

"How are you feeling?" Quinn quietly asked as she watched Santana grab water from the fridge, "I can make you breakfast."

Santana shook her head as she leaned against the counter, letting out a slow breath, "I'm not really hungry." She stated pushing off the counter as Rachel entered the kitchen holding up the bottle of pills. She grabbed them straight away, heading to the bathroom as she replied, "I'm going to take a shower, take these pills to fight this fucking headache and try and sleep my stupid life away."

"Not the entire bottle right?" Rachel quickly asked taking a step forward to try and grab Santana's arm, but she was too quick and already half way across the apartment, "Santana?"

Santana turned around once she reached the bathroom, her puffy eyes sending Rachel a look of annoyance, "I'm not stupid, Rachel. Plus there's only like three Advil left in here. And I plan on drowning my sadness the old fashion way... with alcohol." And with that she slammed the bathroom door shut.

Rachel sighed as she turned to Quinn, "Please stay longer than the weekend."

Quinn finished the rest of her tea as she headed to the sink to rinse her mug out, letting out a slow breath, "I'll see what I can do."

Rachel nodded about to give her thanks, but her phone buzzed letting her know she had received a text message. "It's Kurt." She informed Quinn, "He said he's coming over."

Quinn turned around a pursed her lips, "I guess we'll see what happens next."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Rachel welcomed Kurt inside when he arrived. Shrugging his coat off and making his way into the living room to find a pouty Santana sitting closely to Quinn, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of the two of them.

"Make it quick, Hummel. These weak ass pills Rachel gave me aren't doing shit and my head is pounding."

Kurt let out a slow breath, but nodded, after all these years of friendship he was used to Santana's moods and really with what she was going through he couldn't blame the poor girl.

"She's moving back to Lima." Kurt began, pausing to give Santana time to process the information, watching as Quinn reached out to take her hand, the blonde the one to signal Kurt to go on, "She wants you to come and take whatever you want."

Santana shook her head, falling back against the couch, "Not while she's there."

Kurt cleared his throat, watching as Rachel joined the conversation, taking a supportive seat next to Santana, cueing him to carry on, "I'm going to take her to the airport tomorrow. I said we'd ship the rest of her things to her. She said she didn't want a ship... I still don't think she understands the process..." he paused and shook his head, "You can go and retrieve your things once she's gone."

"Did she say anything else?" Santana quietly asked.

"That she's sorry." Kurt began, "She never meant to hurt you and didn't want you two to end up this way. She doesn't understand why you two couldn't be together, but also be with other people."

"She wanted an open relationship." Rachel mused out loud.

Santana leaned forward, dropping her head in her hands, feeling Rachel's hand run soothingly up and down her back, wondering if this was karma for the way she was back in high school.

"I told her you didn't want to talk right now, but she hopes you two can be friends again one day." Kurt said, reaching out to place a hand on Santana's knee, "Best friends that lock pinkies and go on adventures together."

Santana abruptly stood up angrily shaking her head, "She can lock pinkies with someone the fuck else."

And with that she stormed into Rachel's bedroom and slammed the door shut.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was the next afternoon and even though Quinn had made her concerns known that it was too early for Santana to be going back to the apartment she used to share with Brittany, everyone else disagreed, and so Blaine, Rachel, Tina, Quinn and Santana were on their way, finally arriving inside the building.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Tina asked as she walked closely next to Santana, the five of them piling into the elevator of Santana's soon to be old apartment building.

"Let's just get this over with." Santana muttered, leaning back against the wall as she watched the numbers change with each floor they hit, her stomach growing queasy when it dinged on her floor. She took in a deep breath, looping arms with Tina, thankful she had made the move to the city after she graduated high school. It was an unexpected friendship, but Santana found herself grateful for it, the same thing could be said for the other Glee members she was currently with too.

Blaine was the one who unlocked the apartment door and as soon as Santana breached the threshold she pulled away from Tina and was hit with a sudden wave of rage. She stormed into the bedroom, her eyes dark and glossy as they zeroed in on an item of clothing that didn't belong to her. She bent over, snatching the bra in her hand, turning to shake it in front of her friends, tears once again streaming down her face.

"Do you want to know the stupid thing about all of this!?" Santana asked, but left no room for anyone to answer, "I can't even bring myself to be mad at her!"

"She was your first true love, Santana. I couldn't even imagine..." Rachel softly began, taking a cautious step closer, "I mean it's Brittany..."

"I don't think it's in her to be with just _one_ person. She just always wants to make everyone happy, ya know." Blaine quietly said. "And she became close friends with this girl."

Santana sniffled with a shake of her head, "I should have asked her about it. I didn't ask... I didn't-"

Quinn carefully walked over, placing a hand on Santana's shoulder, while she reached out to retrieve the bra from her fingers, tossing it out of sight. "We're not here to make excuses for why Brittany hurt you."

Tina had to agree with Quinn and simply nodded along, "I think we should grab your stuff and go."

Blaine checked his phone, clearing his throat as he looked up at everyone, most importantly Santana who had pulled away to start rummaging through her things, "Kurt said she made it on the plane. He's going to come back and help."

Santana nodded, her hands shaking as she reached the dresser, "She's officially gone then."

"I think Santana should go back to Rachel's with someone." Tina suggested, watching as another round of sobs trembled through her body. "There's not a lot left, four of us can move everything over to Rachel's."

Rachel walked over, resting a hand on Santana's bicep, "Santana?"

Santana wiped her eyes, wishing she had listened to Quinn's earlier protests about her coming here. She leaned into Rachel and nodded, "Yeah, let's go." She whispered allowing Rachel to guide her out of the small apartment.

Quinn watched the two exit the room and when she was sure they had left, she began to angrily start packing things in boxes, "I love Brittany, but her innocence is no excuse for how she hurt Santana. They were married, they were contracted together, till death do them part."

"Contracted together?" Blaine scoffed, "That's so romantic. And we're not giving Brittany an excuse. We're just saying..."

"She is a free spirit." Tina cut in, but backed up a little when Quinn shot her one of her famous HIBC glares, "I'm not saying what she did was right. I'm just saying I think she's meant to spread happiness without the being tied down part."

"Well she fucking threw Santana's happiness in the fire with a whole bunch of gasoline." Quinn said grabbing the mistress' bra and throwing it in the trashcan, "It was cute and sweet in high school, but I'm honestly shocked."

Blaine sighed with defeat, "It's done and over with now. Let's just grab what we can and go. Kurt and I will come back on the weekend to finish the rest and send whatever is left back to Brittany."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Rachel quickly stood up from the couch when Quinn entered the apartment, Tina, Blaine and Kurt following behind her, setting boxes on the ground.

"She's been sitting on the fire escape for hours." Rachel said with fret, "She must be freezing..." she sighed wishing there was more she could do for Santana, other than just always offering her hugs.

"I'll go talk to her." Quinn quietly murmured heading for the window, gracefully climbing over the ledge finding Santana sitting with her back against the wall. "Hey."

Santana looked over, mascara smearing down her cheeks, giving Quinn a simple nod of recognition and then brought a bottle of Jack Daniels up to her lips, taking a healthy drink, not even wincing as it burned down into her stomach.

"Aren't you freezing?" Quinn asked as she slowly walked the short distance over to her friend, pulling her coat more tightly around herself before finally sinking down to sit next to Santana, "They're calling for snow later tonight."

"Plenty of warmth right here." Santana answered holding the bottle of liquor up for Quinn to see, offering her some.

Quinn contemplated the offer for a few quick seconds, finally caving in and grabbing the bottle from Santana's hand, taking a small sip, cringing as soon as it hit her tongue, "I can't remember the last time I had a drink."

"It's because you're a workaholic." Santana stated but was delighted to see that Quinn had drank some more and then handed it back to her.

"I love my job." Quinn defended although she had to admit she couldn't remember the last time she had a vacation, other than taking a few sick days this week to be here with Santana. "It's fulfilling."

Santana bitterly laughed with a shake of her head, "Is that the only thing we can hope for anymore? Having a fulfilling career since love seems to be bullshit?"

Quinn began to protest the comment, her mouth opening and shutting, but the more she thought about it and her own love life, she had to admit Santana made a good point. "Give me that." Quinn said reaching over to swipe the bottle of alcohol from Santana's grip, taking a bigger drink this time, wincing slightly as it pooled into her mouth setting ablaze a path all the way to her stomach.

Santana leaned her head back, staring up at the sky, remembering a time back in Lima when she could see the stars on a clear night, but here in New York City it was just black and empty, very much how she was feeling right now. "Do you think love is just some made up shit spewed out from Hollywood? Because I'm starting to call bullshit."

Quinn took a quick glance at Santana through the corner of her eye. Her intentions when she climbed out here were to provide Santana with some sort of comfort, some kind of speech about looking on the bright side and how things would get better. The only problem was, Quinn's own love life was empty, and anything she said would surely label her as nothing but a hypocrite. She often pictured her future and saw herself with a fantastic career, but when she came home at night she wasn't greeted with the affection of another human, but instead the love came in the appearance of lots cats.

Quinn sighed, the next mouthful of Jack Daniels going down much smoother than the previous one. She wished she could have offered Santana some comforting words, but all she could do was hand Santana the bottle back while offering an, "I'm calling bullshit too, San."

Santana finally smiled, although it was a sour one, Quinn's revelation was refreshing compared to everyone else's caring, but annoying positive attitudes. Her heart was completely broken; the _stay positive_ thing just wasn't cutting it. She wanted to cry and sulk and scream, so to no surprise to her, Quinn's negative views on love at this moment were oddly comforting.

Quinn let out a slow breath, shifting closer to Santana when a gust of wind swooped in through the buildings, hitting them straight on, but neither one of them attempted to stand up. The only movement Quinn made was laying her head on Santana's shoulder.

Santana gently rested her head against Quinn's, the cold wind a welcomed pain that momentarily helped her forget about the emotional distress she was currently feeling. "Thank you for being here." She whispered, and in return Quinn sought out Santana's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The next morning Quinn came out of the bedroom, finding Santana zoned out on the couch. She pursed her lips, before finally walking over to disturb her.

"Santana?" Quinn quietly said, sitting on the edge of the couch where Santana laid, "I'm heading back to Boston now."

Santana pulled her gaze from the television, looking up at her friend, "You're leaving?"

Quinn nodded, reaching out to brush her fingers through her hair, "I have to go back to work."

Santana sighed, not wanting the blonde to go so soon, but she couldn't expect everyone to put their life on hold just because she was currently going through a rough time. Plus she was living with Rachel now, so it wasn't like she was going to be completely alone.

"Okay." Santana finally said as she slowly sat up, loosely wrapping her arms around her. "Thanks for coming."

"Always." Quinn whispered, keeping her arms around Santana for as long as she needed, "Call me, okay? I'll try and visit next weekend."

Santana simply nodded, squeezing her close before finally letting go. "Text me when you make it home."

Quinn gave her a small smile, "I will." She gave her hand one last squeeze before getting up to go find Rachel in the kitchen.

"It's weird seeing her like this." Rachel admitted as soon as Quinn appeared.

"One day at a time." Quinn said, pulling Rachel into a hug, "Keep me updated."

"I will." Rachel promised, pulling back after a few minutes and then walked Quinn to the door. After Quinn was gone, Rachel headed into the living room where Santana laid. Rachel grabbed her script, watching as Santana lowered the volume of the television letting Rachel know that she wanted her nearby, so she took a seat at the end of the couch. Rachel finally figured out that Santana wasn't ready to talk yet, but she knew just by her being close by, her presence was all Santana needed and while she memorized her lines, Santana was able to fall into a somewhat restful sleep.

* * *

 **Thoughts? Like it so far? I promise after chapter 3 things will start to get lighthearted and fun. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _*two months later*_

"Santana, where are you going?" Rachel asked in a panic watching as the taller girl searched the apartment for her purse, finally finding it kicked under the couch.

"Out."

"Quinn is coming tonight. Remember?"

Santana paused for a minute to ponder the information. Not having seen the blonde in a few weeks, the two only keeping in contact through texts and the occasional phone call, she actually missed her. but she was also still super bitter and the only thing that made her feel better was getting ridiculously drunk on the weekends, or whenever she could really. She was sure her liver loved her for it and she could proudly say she was best friends with the toilet now.

"Is she spending the weekend?"

"Yes."

Santana nodded, the answer to her question having her on the move again, "I'll see her tomorrow." She said as she headed towards the door, slipping a small bottle of liquor in her purse before shouldering it.

"We can go out with you." Rachel offered, walking over to stand in front of the door, hoping to change her mind, "I really hate when you go out on your own. I worry."

"I'll be fine, pequeno." Santana assured leaning in to press a quick kiss to her cheek and then slide on by her to leave the apartment, the door clicking shut, with a "Don't wait up."

Rachel sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She honestly thought when Santana moved in she was going to have to deal with an even worse version of _high school_ _ **before**_ _glee Santana_. But she was surprised and kind of worried to see that _heartbroken_ _Santana_ was quiet, broody and always seemed drunk.

It didn't matter anyway; tonight the big guns were coming in to town, aka: Quinn Fabray.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn glanced at her phone for what seemed like the millionth time, fiddling with the cap of her water bottle, "It's almost one in the morning, Rach. When does she usually roll in?"

"It depends I suppose." Rachel shrugged with a yawn, "One night she came home a four. I'm pretty positive she did more than just drink that night too."

Quinn sighed as she fell back against the couch. She was a little disappointed Santana had chose to go out even after knowing she was visiting for the weekend. On the train ride over she imagined them having a relaxing Friday night with wine and junk food. Quinn and Santana teasing Rachel and Tina about how they stole the show once they joined glee club and then Blaine and Kurt would arrive with a midnight pizza and somehow they would finally get Santana to smile and laugh again. A genuine smile, not some fake smile that was never able to hide the sadness in her eyes. Instead their Friday night turned into Quinn and Rachel staying up passed midnight worried and wondering when Santana was going to come home.

"There was one weekend where she actually stayed home." Rachel quietly spoke, earning Quinn's attention, "Thank goodness I was performing in shows that weekend because she watched nothing but the discovery channel."

"Has she talked about it yet?" Quinn asked, already knowing the answer, Rachel would have told her if she did, and she proved to be right as she watched the petite brunette shake her head.

"I don't-" Rachel paused, looking at her phone when it began to ring, "Why is Tina calling me so late?" she wondered out loud before answering it, "Hello? Wait what? Calm down." She waited a beat and then quickly stood up, grabbing Quinn's arm, trying to pull her in a standing position, "Where are you? Quinn is with me, we're coming now." she said and then hurriedly hung up.

"What is it?"

Rachel shook her head as she headed for the door, Quinn following close behind, "Santana. I knew it was only a matter of time."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Oh my..." Quinn's eyes went wide from the backseat of the taxi, leaning forward between the seats to get a better view of the crowd outside of a club, "Pull over here." She demanded, grabbing money from her purse and throwing it at the driver, her and Rachel quickly exiting and making their way to the circle of people, pushing their way through to find Tina trying to hold a fuming Santana back.

Rachel gasped, clutching onto Quinn's arm, "That's the girl... that's the girl Brittany cheated with."

Quinn's eyes narrowed in the direction of the redhead that was already bloody and bruised, one of her friends holding her back. She was the reason Santana was going through hell, wanting to go and deliver a punch of her own, but Santana broke free from Tina's grip, running straight for her and tackling her to the ground. Finally Quinn jumped forward to lend Tina a hand in trying to control the fiery Latina but to no avail.

"Santana!" Rachel yelled, watching with fret, wondering why there were no bouncers out here to put a stop to this, her eyes going wide when the redhead flipped them over and successfully hit Santana a few times herself, the back of her head hitting off the cement.

"Santana!" Quinn shouted, shoving at the two girls, until she was pushed aside by two big guys who were finally able to pull them apart.

"You're a dirty whore!" Santana yelled, struggling against the bouncer of the club they were outside of, Quinn, Tina and Rachel following close behind. "Put me the fuck down!" She said, pushing at the guy's arms, but he walked a few more seconds to make sure the girls were separated, before finally setting her on the ground.

"We can take it from here." Quinn assured the bouncer, not wanting to cause any more trouble, or have them call the cops.

"She's so fucking lucky!" Santana shouted, pointing in the direction the other girl was taken, the crowd starting to disperse now that the fight was over. "If I had a few more minutes I would have knocked her ass out."

"You're lucky the cops didn't show up." Quinn said, gently pushing her to the brick wall so the three of them could corner her until she calmed down.

Santana panted, her bicep muscles flexed and ready, not even feeling the cuts on her face and the bruise that was beginning to form on her cheek.

"Time to go home." Tina said, but Santana shook her head.

"I'm going out for more drinks." Santana stated, tears unknowingly spilling from her eyes, mascara leaving dark streaks down her cheeks. "And I hope I fucking see that bitch again."

"We're going home, Santana!" Rachel declared, reaching out to grab her chin, "Jesus, this is enough! The way you're acting. You're completely wasted and out of control! It's time to go home!"

Santana pulled her head free from Rachel's gaze, looking off in another direction, anywhere but at her disappointed friends.

"Come on, Santana." Tina quietly said, "I saw the whole thing. You came out of that fight the winner. Now let's go home and clean up."

"Fine."

The three of them let out a breath of relief, Tina moving to the curb to hail a taxi, happy that this night finally seemed to be over. As the cab pulled up though, there were shouts coming from the direction the fight had taken place, taunts and names being thrown in Santana's direction.

"Ignore them." Quinn pleaded, looping her arm through Santana's, guiding her to the taxi.

"You like it rough just like your ex, huh!"

Santana froze her eyes darkening with a ferocity that no one had ever seen before. She slowly reached down, pulling her high heels off, feeling Quinn's grip tighten around her forearm, but it didn't matter, she was beyond pissed, no words could describe the rage that was flowing through her veins and without any further hesitation she broke free from Quinn and ran straight for the mistress that was the cause of all her heartache and unhappiness.

"Fuck!" Quinn shouted, turning and sprinting in the direction Santana had gone, mentally thanking Sue Sylvester for putting her into shape and giving her the mentality to keep up with an exercise regimen that allowed her to keep a healthy pace behind Santana.

Quinn still wasn't fast enough though and she watched in horror and a bit of admiration as Santana punched the terrible woman in the face, knocking her completely out. Quinn had to admit the redhead deserved it, the only thing she didn't like was the fact that Santana was hurt and now she could be in serious trouble if the cops showed up.

"One fucking punch, bitch!" Santana taunted about to crouch down over the blacked out girl, but her friends had surrounded her and Quinn finally reached Santana and yanked her away. "Did you see that?!" she bitterly laughed, spitting blood in the girl's direction.

Quinn's ears perked up when she heard sirens, grateful to see the taxi Tina and Rachel had obtained followed them, "Santana, we have to go now!"

"Alright." Santana grinned, seemingly satisfied with how her night turned out, allowing Quinn to shove her into the backseat of the yellow car next to Rachel. "Rach, one punch. Look at her. Tina, did you see!?"

"That's not very appealing, Santana." Rachel said with an eye roll, motioning for the driver to pull away once Quinn was safely in the cab.

"You guys are party fucking poopers." Santana muttered, slamming back against the seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tina turned around to examine Santana from the front passenger seat, wincing at the sight, "How are you not in any pain right now?"

"Because I'm badass." Santana answered.

"The blood dripping from your face really shows it." Quinn sarcastically replied, about to reach out and see how bad she was, but Rachel had began to inspect Santana herself.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital?" Rachel suggested and that caused Santana to pull away from her.

"Calm down, drama queen. I'm fine." Santana said, but she leaned forward, resting her head in her hands, "I'm just a little nauseous."

The cabbie looked in the review mirror, accelerating when the words left Santana's mouth. Thankfully they weren't too far from Rachel's place and ten minutes later the four of them were entering the apartment, Quinn and Tina on either side of Santana, until she broke free and quickly stumbled her way to the bathroom.

Santana hunched over the toilet, expelling everything that was in her stomach. When her stomach settled, she rested her head on her arm, watching as tears, blood and vomited alcohol swirled in the water. She squeezed her eyes shut, wondering how the fuck her life turned out like this. She was divorced and jobless feeling like the only direction she was headed in was a black hole of nothingness. Her parents sent her pity checks because she didn't dare move back home admitting complete defeat, while Rachel let her live in her apartment rent free.

"Santana?"

Santana reached up to flush the toilet when she heard Rachel's voice, falling back against the wall, looking up as she watched Rachel approach her with Quinn close behind.

"Drink this." Quinn said handing her a cold bottle of water.

Santana twisted the top off, sighing with relief when the cool liquid hit her tongue, chilling a refreshing path all the way to her stomach.

"Let's clean you up." Rachel softly said, kneeling in front of Santana, dabbing at her face with a wet cloth.

Quinn pursed her lips as she watched Rachel take care of her, a small twinge of what she could only describe as envy hitting her out of nowhere. Rachel and Santana's friendship was growing stronger and it confused her a little because it was such a high school feeling to have, being jealous over a friendship. But while Quinn was living in Boston still trying to be supportive of Santana through phone calls and text messages, Rachel was physically here doing all the dirty work and she had to admit Rachel was surprisingly handling Santana better than she thought.

She sighed with a shake of her head, clearing her mind of such silly thoughts, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Santana answered, her voice hoarse, her eyes fluttering shut as Rachel cleaned up the dried blood from her face.

Thirty minutes later Santana was tucked into bed, the events of the night causing her to fall straight to sleep.

"I don't know how I'm going to get through my show tomorrow." Rachel sighed, glancing at the time, it almost three in the morning, "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm skipping my night time routine." She announced with a little bit of fret and then disappeared into the bedroom.

"The couch is all yours." Tina said as she pulled her coat on, "I enjoy sleeping in my own bed. Plus after tonight, I'm really going to need the comfort."

Quinn simply nodded, "Text me when you make it home, okay?"

"I will." Tina smirked, "Good night."

"Goodnight." Quinn said, locking the door behind her before finally sprawling out on the couch trying to get a decent night's sleep.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The next morning Santana woke up with a pounding headache. She reached out wanting to shake Rachel awake, but the spot next to her was empty. She groaned and slowly sat up, holding her head in her hands a wave of nausea washing over her.

She trudged to the door and out into the living room, shielding her eyes from the sunlight rudely trespassing in through the window. She glanced through the cracks of her fingers, spotting Quinn on the couch.

"Where's Rachel?"

Quinn put her phone to the side looking up at her hung over and beaten up friend, "She had a matinee."

Santana finally pulled her hand from her face, a small stab of guilt hitting her, "She did?"

"And she's in another show tonight." Quinn informed her, "Which I was thinking we could attend if you're feeling better by then?"

Santana shook her head, quickly moving to sit in the chair, "This doesn't feel right, Q."

Quinn stood up, walking over to sit on the arm of the chair, gently running her hand up and down her back, "I know, San, but you'll get through it."

"No, not _that_." Santana whispered, "I think I have a concussion."

Quinn's eyes went wide, moving to stand in front of Santana, gently taking her head in her hands to look into her eyes, the image of her head smacking against the cement playing back in her mind. She slept through the night though and was awake and seemed to be coherent, and they wouldn't do much if she brought her to the hospital other than give her a hefty bill afterwards.

"Okay, I'll take care of you and if you don't start to feel better within the hour we'll go to the hospital."

"Can we start with shutting the drapes?"

Quinn nodded, walking over to the window, shutting the drapes, making it as dark as she possibly could. Twenty minutes later, Santana was lying on the couch, her head in Quinn's lap with an ice pack resting under the back of her head, the blonde giving her a soothing scalp massage, the pounding in her head slowly starting to fade.

"San?" Quinn quietly asked, not sure if she was asleep.

"Mmm?"

"Why don't you come back to Boston with me this week?" Quinn suggested, "Get out of New York. I can cut my hours back and we can act like stupid tourist or something?"

Santana stayed silent for a few minutes, contemplating the idea in her head. It would be a change of scenery and she bet even though Rachel would never admit it, the time away would give the Broadway starlet a much deserved break from her angst antics.

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

 **Sorry this was short. It seemed longer when I was writing it, so I'll try and hurry with chapter 4!**

 **Someone asked if this was going to turn into Fapezberry: I can see how you would think that. I feel like I go overboard with adding Rachel in sometimes, but she's really just being a wonderful and caring friend. I do hope to write a Fapezberry story one day though! :)**

 **As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoring and following. It means a lot!**

 **Next chapter is where things start to get cute. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Santana lightly smirked as she searched Quinn's fridge, finding nothing but take out containers. "All you're missing are a few cats." She teased as she stood up, shutting the fridge door, only to be greeted with an eye roll from Quinn, "What? I'm just saying." She shrugged as she turned to survey Quinn's small, but lavish studio/loft type apartment. Everything was very open concept, even her bed was out in the open, the only thing that separated it and made it a bedroom was the three steps you had to take to get to the bed, which Santana climbed so she could place her duffle bag on the queen sized bed.

"So, there's a fair happening right now." Quinn suggested looking through her phone to see if she could find some information on it, "Do you want to check it out?"

"Do they serve alcohol?"

Quinn titled her head to the side, giving her a look of disapproval, "Do you really need to drink to enjoy yourself?"

"Lately, yes." Santana truthfully answered, searching through her clothes to look for a different outfit to wear.

"How about we try this activity sober and if you need a drink they _do_ have beer."

Santana let out a sigh, but she nodded, quickly forgetting all about the current topic they were on when something pink and lacy caught her eye. She smiled, reaching out to snatch the thong that was hiding under Quinn's covers, "Quinn Fabray! You still got it going on under all those business woman outfits and sundresses."

Quinn's eyes went wide when Santana turned around, watching as her friend twirled her thong around on her finger. "Santana!" She dashed over, quickly reaching out to grab the garments from her hand, but Santana was too fast and turned her back, "Oh my god. Don't be a pervert." She mumbled shoving her onto the bed, straddling her waist while trying to wrestle her for the panties.

"Who were you wearing these for?" Santana asked, a spark of curiosity dancing in her eyes, but also a small stitch of disgust at the thought of some random guy lucky enough to peel these from Quinn's thighs.

"No one." Quinn lamely admitted finally successful in grabbing the thong from Santana's hands, standing up to put them away. "I _was_ seeing someone a while back, but it didn't work out. I actually haven't had sex in a long time if you must know." She turned her back to Santana a blush flushing her cheeks, "They make me feel sexy."

Santana bit her lip, her eyes roaming Quinn's backside, memories of what Quinn had on underneath her dress the night of Mr. Schue's wedding happily replaying back in her mind. The blonde knew how to work it and she was delighted to know that she hadn't given up so many years later.

"So do you want to go to that fair?" Quinn asked.

Santana's eyes quickly met Quinn's and all she could do was nod in agreement.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Santana looked around as the two silently walked side by side through the crowded fair. Little kids running around, couples holding hands, cotton candy machines, rides and more.

Santana looked to the ground as they walked the dirty path, letting out a slow breath as she looked over to Quinn, "This kind of reminds me of Lima." She said, watching as Quinn's face scrunched up with nuisance, "What?"

"I'm happy to say that I have moved on from Lima. I can't remember the last time I went back."

"Yeah, you had a tough time back then, huh?" Santana questioned, gently nudging her.

"Yeah." Quinn quickly said, looking around, wanting to change the topic to a more lighthearted one, "Want to try and win me a bear?" She smirked, nodding over to where the games were.

"Why can't you win _me_ a bear?" Santana asked, but allowed Quinn to drag her in that direction anyway.

"Because you touched my thong, so now I deserve a prize to make up for it."

"Yeah and I just have to know..." Santana smirked with a sly smile, "Was it a clean one or? Not that it matters because...that's hot..."

Quinn blushed, stopping to playfully shove Santana up to the game, "Now you have to win me the biggest one just for that comment."

Santana shrugged and turned to the bottle game, handing the guy some money and then taking the baseballs from him. "Watch the pro." She teased, aiming and throwing the balls at the bottles, successful in knocking them down each time she threw. When her turn ended the guy grabbed a medium sized bear and handed it to Santana, who turned and grinned proudly handing the _pink_ bear over to Quinn, teasingly adding, "This bear just so happens to match the colour of your thong. I think we should name her Lacy."

Quinn slowly took the bear from Santana, gasping a, "You're something else, Santana."

"You wanted a bear. I won you a pink bear." Santana said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, "Let's go put her in the car. This game put me in the mood to enjoy myself and next I want to go on a ride."

A smile finally formed on Quinn's lips, happy Santana finally seemed to be into this silly attraction and so she nodded and they headed to the car and buckled Lacy the bear safely into the backseat.

"Santana, no." Quinn protested with a firm shake of her head as they walked back into the fairgrounds, "I'm not doing it. It's dangerous!"

"Stop being a Rachel Berry and just enjoy yourself instead of over thinking it." Santana said, as she walked up to a booth to buy ride tickets despite the objections coming from the girl standing next to her.

Quinn waited next to her, looking up at the giant Ferris wheel, her stomach twisting in knots. She preferred to be on the ground where she had control, not high up in what looked to be a shady rusty old carnival ride.

"Ready?" Santana asked turning to Quinn.

"No."

Santana reached out and took her hand, dragging the blonde over to the big wheel, "Come on. The view will probably be amazing when we reach the top."

"I'm sure the fall to our brutal deaths will be a great view."

"What was that, Rachel?"

Quinn squinted her eyes, "Haha, very funny, San. Fine, let's just go on the stupid ride."

"That's what I thought." Santana smirked, handing the carnie two tickets, making sure Quinn slid in the seat first so she didn't attempt to flee, and then she took the spot next to her, closing the door.

"Shouldn't this bar strap us in tighter?" Quinn asked, her hands wrapping around the metal railing, trying to pull it closer to the two of them, while she searched around for seatbelts, caught off guard by the sudden movement of the ride, "Santana!?"

"Relax, we're just going." Santana smirked, "We're fine Quinn the ride goes in one big slow circle. We don't need to be strapped in."

"How slow?"

"Slow enough just calm down and enjoy it."

Quinn let out a slow breath, her fingers wrapped around the bar so tight her knuckles began to turn white. With every few seconds of height they gained her heart began to pound, daring to look over the edge to see how far off the ground they had made it, deciding it was a bad idea to look so she quickly shut her eyes.

"I hate you." Quinn whispered with a hard swallow, causing Santana to lightly laugh.

"We're almost at the top." Santana said with excitement, watching and taking in the surroundings. The higher they rose, the smaller everything became and suddenly she took in a deep breath and let out a relieved one, a breath she didn't realize she had been holding for such a long time, but the higher they went and the smaller everyone became made her finally let go of how shitty her life seemed to be right now. She was sure the feeling wasn't going to last, but right now as they came to the highest point of the Ferris wheel, she savoured whatever emotion she was currently feeling at this time, a feeling that told her that maybe things were going to start getting better.

Finally the ride stopped, allowing Santana to take in the view from the top while also taking a glance at Quinn.

"Why did we stop?" Quinn quietly asked, her eyes still tightly shut.

Santana bit her lip, her spirits temporally brightened, so she decided to tease her friend by lightly shaking the cart they were in, "Don't freak out, but the ride broke down!" She said in the best panicked voice she could muster.

"Santana!" Quinn shouted, letting go of the bar, deciding to cling onto Santana instead, "If we go down, I'm landing on you! You can break my fall."

Santana lightly laughed, wrapping her arm around Quinn's shoulders, "Q, I'm teasing. The ride always stops at the top."

"Don't fucking scare me, San!" Quinn said, hiding her face in Santana's neck, her nails digging into Santana's back and thigh, mumbling a, "I hate this."

"It's actually adorable how scared you are of heights." Santana teased, giving Quinn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "Just try and take a look. It really is beautiful. You can see the harbor from here."

Quinn let out a slow breath, opening one eye and then another, turning her head to look at the view straight in front of her. "Okay." She nodded, figuring out if she didn't look down she was okay and instead focused on the night sky and the lights in front of her. "It's not that bad." She quietly said, feeling Santana's arm start to slip off of her, but she wrapped her arms around her waist, shifting closer, "I didn't say you could let go of me!" Quinn protested, sure she was ready to open her eyes, but there was no way she was losing the only safety she felt up here in this rusty old ride, plus being this close to Santana made her feel oddly safe. She wasn't sure how Santana would save her if they actually did fall to their doom, but the arm around her shoulders allowed her mind to be put at ease.

"Sorry, I won't let go." Santana promised. "Not that bad of a view though, huh?"

Quinn finally took in the entire view, relaxing into the quietness of it all, her head unconsciously dipping to rest on Santana's shoulder. "You can see everything." She whispered, her fingernails finally releasing their grip, but her hands stayed where they were, comfortably around Santana's waist, all stress and worries finally leaving her alone.

They both stayed silent for a few minutes, enjoying the view, until Santana was the first one to quietly speak up.

"Do you ever like...stop and just realize that every single person is going through something?" Santana asked, her voice soft and quizzical, not sure if what she was about to say was going to even make sense, but the mood fell upon her and she kept going, "Like that family down there." She nodded, positive Quinn wouldn't dare look down at what appeared to be a father, mother and two little boys laughing and running around the carnival, "Their kids are having fun, but do you think their marriage is happy?" she questioned, "Or maybe they're still in love and want to eventually have more kids. It's weird to think about, it's something that keeps us all in common, we're all just trying to figure out life and make it the happiest we can, with curve balls thrown at us out of nowhere." She paused, deciding on how to say her next thoughts, quickly looking down at Quinn, "Q, you went through a lot of shit in high school and you made it through, you didn't give up and now you have this amazing career and it just... ugh, I don't know." She lightly laughed for how cheesy she all of a sudden had become, kind of embarrassed, but she decided to open up anyway, "Sometimes when I'm feeling at my lowest, I just think about everything you went through and where you are now and it somehow makes me feel better."

"Wait, me?" Quinn questioned, lifting her head to look at Santana, wondering if she heard her correctly, "You think of me for inspiration?"

"Yeah you." Santana smirked, "I mean Rachel too, she knew her dreams from the day she was born and she fought to make it happen and now she's on Broadway." She cleared her throat chancing a look at Quinn again, "But you've been through a lot, Quinn, I'm not going to list the shit you've been through, we all know. And now you're like this top bitch at a law firm, financially independent and...I could go on and on."

Quinn looked at her with appreciation, surprised by her sudden confession, "No one's ever... said something like that to me before."

Santana shrugged, all of a sudden feeling a little vulnerable, a nervous smile dancing on her lips, "I-I don't know. I just... yeah."

"I'm supposed to be giving you the pep talks." Quinn teased.

"Rachel already does that." Santana answered with an annoyed eye roll. "I know she means well, but it's been nice being away from the pity looks and the forced positivity." She said while chewing on her bottom lip with thought, wanting to continue where this conversation was going, but she spotted lightning in the distance and it caused her to look over the edge at the carnie working the ride.

"What?" Quinn asked, watching as Santana's demeanor changed, causing her to grip back onto the girl next to her, "San?"

"There's a storm coming. I'd like to get off the ride before the rain starts." Santana answered, nodding with approval when the ride began to move again.

Quinn shook her head, squeaking at the sudden movement, "I'm never coming up here again."

"Quinn, we're fine." Santana smirked, soothingly brushing her thumb over her exposed shoulder.

"Just tell me when we're on the ground." Quinn said, shutting her eyes once again.

Once they were safely on the ground the two sped walked back to Quinn's car, picking up their pace when the wind picked up and a cool breeze wrapped around them, gently shoving people out of the way until they eventually reached the car, climbing inside just in time as a crack of thunder clapped signalling for the rain to start down pouring.

"Wow, just in time!" Quinn smiled with triumph as she looked outside the window, the rain pelting the windshield, fully not expecting the next words about to leave Santana's mouth.

"Do you think I rushed into things and settled with Britt?"

Quinn's smile slowly fell, not expecting Santana to suddenly open up to her. Rachel was constantly with her in New York and she claimed Santana never said a word about what happened and now Quinn was the lucky one who was about to hear it all and all she could hope was that she'd find the right words to say.

"I...uh..." Quinn turned, watching Santana's face who in turn was searching Quinn's for answers. "Santana, I know you're still confused about what happened. I don't think you settled, I think you two were truly in love. Brittany also doesn't deserve excuses for what she did, she had to have known what she did was wrong. She's just so different and such a free spirit who always wants everyone to be happy-"

"Shouldn't I have been her number one priority though?" Santana whispered with a choked sob.

"Of course, Santana." Quinn said, reaching out to rest her hand on Santana's shoulder, "You two definitely had a strong connection, one a lot of people were jealous of. But the difference is when _you're_ with someone _you_ focus on that one person. I witnessed it San, you took care of Brittany and protected her, and you've made life easier for her. Where Brittany, she means well, but I think it's hard for her to just focus on one person. In all honesty, you two had the friendship chemistry, but I don't think you had the marriage and domesticated chemistry."

Santana shook her head with a bitter smile, leaning back in the passenger seat, "It's so hard to be mad at her." She whispered, quickly wiping at her eyes, "But I also hate her for breaking me."

"So this is where you pick up the broken pieces and put them back together again." Quinn quietly said, "Some of them may not fit back into your life, so you make new pieces. It's life, sometimes it's a struggle, but when you get through it you come out stronger. The old pieces are meant to fall away and be replaced with happy ones. I promise you'll be whole again. You deserve it as much as anyone else. You're just going to have to fight a little harder right now."

Santana let out a slow breath, letting Quinn's words sink in, a little bit of her sadness floating away. She watched the rain hit the window for a few minutes, thankful Quinn realized that she just needed a few minutes alone in her mind. Finally though she turned to look at her friend, nodding to the backseat at the pink bear, "Should we take Lacy home and out of the storm?"

Quinn gave her a small smile and a slight nod, respecting Santana's sudden change in topic, "Let's get her home."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So where should we put Lacy?" Santana smirked following Quinn inside the apartment, holding the stuffed animal up for her to see, "Should we put your thong on her?"

"San, don't be gross." Quinn said, but there was a hint of amusement to the tone of her voice, "But I think she'd be comfortable on the couch."

Santana nodded, walking over to place the bear in the middle of the couch facing the television, before the two rummaged around the apartment quietly getting ready for bed.

"It's only ten and I'm exhausted." Quinn confessed, walking over to her bed, happily sprawling out onto it, her eyes shutting as soon as her head hit the pillow. "Does that make me old?"

"A little bit, yeah." Santana teased, "But... I'm going to take a shower and probably go to sleep myself, so I don't really blame you."

"Thought so." Quinn smirked sinking under the covers.

Twenty minutes later Santana came out of the bathroom, shutting the lights off and walking up the few stairs to Quinn's bed, walking around to the opposite side, opening the window before gladly climbing onto the ridiculously soft mattress, letting out a sigh of comfort, allowing her eyes to fall shut, but not for long because a cold breeze blew in through the open window and it caused Quinn to stir.

"Why is the window open?" Quinn whispered, the rain and thunder louder than it should have been, not to mention the wind, even though it was subtle it was still responsible for sending a nasty chill through her entire body.

"It's hot in here and I like the sound of the rain." Santana admitted.

"I'm freezing." Quinn stated.

They laid silently for a few seconds, Santana contemplating on closing the window, but she was already lying down and there was no way she was getting up again to shut it, especially when the breeze and rain gave her a weird sense of comfort. So instead she rolled over, molding herself into Quinn's back, spooning her without any warning.

Quinn froze at first not expecting the sudden move, but it definitely didn't take her long to relax into the body behind her. "You're radiating heat."

Santana smirked, happy Quinn didn't protest the position, "It's because I'm a fire hot Latina."

Quinn lightly laughed, chewing her bottom lip with a sudden thought, one she had to all of a sudden know the answer to, "Do you-do you and Rachel cuddle?"

It was Santana's turn to laugh, it causing her to pull Quinn a little closer, "No, Rachel sleeps like a soldier. One time though, I accidentally woke up with my head on her chest in a pool of my own drool. She freaked out. I didn't really get to appreciate her reaction at the time because my mind was elsewhere, but thinking back on it now... it was fucking hilarious. I guess my saliva isn't her thing."

"I bet." Quinn smiled the two growing silent for a few minutes, until Santana decided to add one last thing before they succumbed to sleep.

"Hey, Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"Tonight... tonight was the first time I had fun without alcohol." Santana confessed.

Quinn slid her hand over Santana's forearm, the one that was resting comfortably over her midsection, offering her a squeeze of comfort, "I'm glad I could help."

"Me too." Santana whispered, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Quinn replied, relaxing into Santana, her tiredness seeming to disappear with thoughts of confusion and wonder. She always wondered why it was so hard for her to find someone special in her life, why every time she met a guy she was always so quick to squash anything before it started. She never felt a connection and when she did end up regretfully sleeping with a guy she was quick to kick them out of her bed, unsatisfied and not wanting them to touch her. She also couldn't connect with the affectionate side in a relationship either, which made her think she was either screwed up in the head or none of that cheesy romantic stuff actually existed, _until right now_ , with Santana snuggled up into her back, causing he heart to flutter. It was a feeling she remembered all too well, reminding her just how much she actually enjoyed sex with another person, which was the night of Mr. Schue's wedding. Santana left her satisfied in all the right places and she didn't realize it until right now that this was what she was missing out on. That thirst she was craving, it was the one piece still missing from _her_ life and now all she needed to figure out was if the quench she was looking for was because she wanted to be with _another girl_ or if she wanted to be with Santana.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Santana what's wrong?" Quinn asked as she tried to keep up with the pace Santana was walking, "I thought we were having fun at the aquarium, but then all of a sudden you're entire demeanour changed and you were completely quiet during dinner."

"I'm fine." Santana lied, coming to a stop in front of Quinn's car, waiting for it to be unlocked.

Quinn let out a breath, finally coming to a stop in front of her, arms crossed and face serious, "Tell me what's wrong. I'm here to listen. San, please?"

Santana chewed her bottom lip, getting lost in thought for a few seconds before finally sharing, "When we were reading about the stupid dolphins." She bitterly replied, Brittany's voice echoing in her mind, _"Dolphin's are just gay sharks."_ The one stupid memory triggering a million of other ones, causing her to be hit with a stab to the heart. "It's just stupid." she whispered.

Quinn watched her for a few seconds, noticing tears in her eyes. She didn't understand what dolphins had to do with anything, but it obviously stirred up something bad inside Santana and now she was determined to make her feel better and so she finally unlocked the car.

Santana wiped her eyes, quickly climbing inside the passenger side, buckling in and focusing her attention outside the window. The car ride back to the apartment a silent one.

Quinn paced outside the bathroom door while Santana showered, trying to come up with a way to help her friend. She fidgeted with her phone a few times, contemplating on whether or not to call Rachel for help. She eventually decided against it and left the apartment to head to the store, coming back to find Santana curled up in bed.

"Alright come on." Quinn said, crawling on the bed next to Santana, gently shaking her shoulder, "Get up."

"Quinn, no." Santana muttered, shielding her puffy eyes from the blonde.

"I bought ice cream and I found a bunch of cheesy ass movies on Netflix we're going to watch." Quinn informed her, "In other words I'm not going to let you stay in bed and pity yourself all night."

"Rachel would have."

"I'm not Rachel." Quinn said, tugging on her arm a few times, satisfied when Santana finally sat up.

Santana's face was nothing but a scowl and her eyes may have been puffy, but if looks could kill, Quinn knew she would have been dead within seconds. "What kind of ice cream?"

"Cookie dough and chocolate brownie."

"Toppings?"

"Whipped cream and chocolate sauce."

"What kind of cheesy movies?"

"The horror kind, you know the ones where the couple goes out into the woods and gets brutally murdered." Quinn answered and she swore she saw Santana's face light up a little.

Santana sulked for a few dramatic seconds, until she finally let out a breath and replied with, "Fine, go grab me a spoon."

Quinn smiled with triumph, heading to the kitchen to gather everything and bringing it over to the coffee table to set it all up. An hour later the two sat enjoying their ice cream while they criticized the movie.

"Bitch deserved it." Santana said as another victim was killed on screen, helping herself to another spoonful of ice cream.

"Why is it always a blonde?" Quinn quietly wondered, spraying some whipped cream into her bowl, some of the white stuff spraying onto Santana.

"Quinn!" Santana shouted, wiping some off of her pants, "I will fight you!"

"Relax, it's barely anything."

Santana reached out, grabbing the chocolate sauce squeezing some on Quinn's arm.

"Santana, don't start with me."

"Or what?"

Quinn turned to her; her eyes nothing but playful, Santana ready to dodge her, but Quinn was too quick and sprayed the whipped cream at her and suddenly they were wrestling each other onto the floor, chocolate sauce and whipped cream going everywhere.

"Okay, I give up, Santana!" Quinn pleaded, struggling underneath her weight, Santana straddling her, using her knees to keep her hands pinned to the side, while Santana held the chocolate sauce over her face. It was a terrible predicament to be in and she had to wonder if it was going to be an easy clean up. There was one good thing she had to admit to though, only a few hours ago Santana had been crying and was on her way to brooding the rest of her night away, but she managed to shift that energy and now Santana was laughing and seemed to be having fun.

"You started it and now I'm finishing it." Santana smirked, squeezing the bottle in her hand and slowly a glop of chocolate syrup was smearing all over Quinn's lips and cheeks.

"I hate you." Quinn said, but her tone of voice was littered with amusement.

"Uh huh." Santana smirked ending her wrath, dragging her finger across the chocolate on Quinn's cheek and helping herself to a taste, finally standing up to survey the mess. "Whoa. Have fun cleaning."

"Uh no you're helping me." Quinn stated grabbing a Kleenex to wipe some of the chocolate off of her face.

An hour later, after the two cleaned up the living room with playful banter thrown in the mix and then cleaned up themselves, they settled back onto the couch to finish their movies.

They fell into a comfortable silence, Santana focusing on the movie while Quinn's mind went elsewhere. She was able to cut back her hours this week, but she knew she wouldn't be able to manage the same deal when Monday rolled around, but she also knew she didn't want Santana to leave just yet.

"Santana?"

Santana slowly turned to Quinn, nodding for her to ask her question.

"I'm probably going to be working a lot this week, but you should stay a bit longer."

"I was actually going to ask you if I could." Santana answered, not ready to go back to New York just yet, being in Boston was giving her a different atmosphere and she figured it was something she needed right now.

"You can stay for however long you need." Quinn offered.

"Thanks, Q."

Quinn simply nodded, the two turning their attention back to the television.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn tiredly walked into the elevator of her apartment building, lazily pressing the number to the floor she was on, before letting out a sigh, leaning back against the wall. It had been a long week and she felt a little guilty because she had asked Santana to stay longer,knowing she would be back to full time hours, but not knowing she was going to be burdened with a heavy work load. For someone who sat at a desk for close to ten hours a day, doing nothing physical, she sure felt exhausted. She thanked god it was Friday, because her body ached and if she had to look at her laptop screen one more time, she was sure her brain would explode. But this hard work would pay off in the end and it would all be worth it once she made a name for herself, her name in a man's world.

She smiled to herself as the elevator opened and she walked off and into the hallway, the thought of her running her own practice one day causing some of her aches and pains to disappear. As she neared her apartment her smile only grew when a recognizable scent hit her nose and a familiar voice registered with her ears.

She unlocked the door and entered the apartment looking up to find Santana in the kitchen, her cell phone resting between her shoulder and her ear, while she bustled around the kitchen adding ingredients into a frying pan.

Quinn guessed Santana was talking to her mom, because she was going in and out of Spanish and the only time she stopped was so she could smile and greet Quinn with a small wave.

"Quinn just got home." Santana said turning back to the stove, waiting a beat until she lightly laughed, "No, but I have seen a few cats lurking around her building. I think they know she's been single for a while." she teased, quickly turning around when Quinn swatted her shoulder and then grabbed the phone from her.

"Hi, Mrs. Lopez." Quinn smirked, leaning against the counter to watch Santana cook, her smile faltering, "I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'm perfectly fine on my own. Soy feliz e independiente." She answered, although it was nice and refreshing to hear the concern in her voice. Mrs. Lopez was just worried for her, while her own mother judged her for not being with someone.

She walked out of the kitchen when the subject changed and the topic went to Santana. "She's doing better." Quinn answered looking over to meet Santana's eye roll, turning so she could quietly update her some more, up until Santana came up behind her and stole her phone back.

"Estoy bien. No traigas a Quinn a esto." She pleaded as she headed back over to the kitchen, her eyes going wide at the sight of smoke, "Tengo que irme, adiós mamá. Te amo!" she said and then hung up, tossing her phone onto the counter.

"She's just worried, San." Quinn quietly said as she took a seat at the table, carefully watching Santana who stayed silent as she finished cooking. After a few minutes, Quinn cleared her throat, anxiously tapping her fingers against the wood, hoping Santana wasn't going to suddenly give her the silent treatment because she spoke to her mom about what was going on. "Santana?"

"I know." Santana finally answered as she grabbed two plates from the cupboard, the two going silent again until a plate of food was set in front of Quinn who smiled with delight.

"Your mom used to make this for us." Quinn said, inhaling the aroma, her mouth watering with want.

Santana nodded with a small smirk as she sat across from her, "I called her for the recipe. I regret it because it was just question after question." She said, as she slid a bottle of water over to Quinn, "So it better be worth it and taste half as decent as hers."

Quinn grabbed her fork, eagerly digging into the rice, moaning with complete satisfaction when the food hit her tongue, "I can't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal." She whispered, her eyes shut, savoring the taste.

Santana smiled, taking in Quinn's reaction, happy to know what she had made seemed to be acceptable. "My mom was right you do need someone to take care of you."

Quinn's one eye opened and then the other, her eyebrow rising with repulsion, "Don't go there, San. Just because I don't have time to cook doesn't mean anything."

Santana lightly laughed, "I'm teasing, Q. I'm all for you living the happy and single life. I could list a million reasons on why you should stay single."

"How about we just enjoy dinner." Quinn suggested, gladly taking another bite. "Which tastes exactly like your mom's by the way."

"I'll take that as a huge compliment." Santana stated, finally taking a bite of her own.

A little bit later, Santana sat behind Quinn on the chaise of the couch, gently kneading the blonde's shoulders. Santana had noticed her rubbing her neck while they were doing the dishes, so she kindly offered a massage. It was the least she could do since Quinn had been so consoling in her time of need. It definitely wouldn't make up for everything Quinn and Rachel were helping her with, but Santana figured it was one little thing at a time.

"Why are you working so much anyway?" Santana asked, digging her thumb into a nasty knot in her friend's muscle.

Quinn whimpered, pressing her body into Santana's hands to apply more pressure, absorbing the pleasant and welcomed comfort for a few splendid seconds before she finally answered, "We're trying to make this deal with a business in New York..." she mumbled, "Plus I started taking on other cases that has nothing to do with the firm I work at, which my boss has surprisingly approved of as long as I do it on my own time."

"New York?" Santana questioned.

"Mmhm." Quinn answered, "If I work my ass off then in a few months there's a chance I could be moving to New York." She quietly said, her eyes drooping shut, "Then in like five years I can open my own firm and do family case type of stuff. Create my own hours. You have to work hard to get places. It'll be worth it in the end."

"You have a five year plan, Ms. Pillsbury would be so proud." Santana teased, scrunching her face up when she tried to picture what her life would be like in five years. She quickly shook her head and trashed those thoughts though, because in her current situation they weren't happy pictures.

"Mmm."

"Quinn?" Santana questioned, feeling the blonde's body start to slump against her hands.

"I'm just tired." Quinn mumbled suddenly dazed out from how relaxed the massage had made her, grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch and shifting back in between Santana's legs, resting her head against her shoulder, not really realizing she was cuddling into the girl behind her, "Sorry this week sucked."

"It didn't suck." Santana assured her.

"It's Friday. I'm going to close my eyes for like five minutes and then we can do something fun."

"Yeah, okay, Quinn." Santana softly smiled, shifting so that they were both comfortable, cradling her in between her legs, resting her arm over her stomach while the other grabbed the remote to the television. "I'm fine with a little Netflix and chill."

"Wake me up soon, kay?"

"Yeah, okay." Santana whispered squeezing her gently and settling into the couch having zero intentions of waking the tired blonde. Sure Quinn prided herself on being independent, but she deserved someone to take care of her too and since Quinn was so willing and caring towards her lately, that's what Santana was going to do for her. And so she allowed the blonde to sleep peacefully in her arms.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Quinn, stop."

"I'm not doing anything." Quinn quietly said, the two of them standing in the train station, Quinn's arms crossed with a disappointed expression, one she thought she was successfully hiding, but clearly Santana could see right through it.

"You have a look." Santana said as she dug through her things, trying to find where she put her train ticket.

Quinn walked behind her, digging through the front pocket of her backpack, pulling the ticket out and handing it to her.

"Thank you." Santana said with relief.

"Call me when you make it to New York." Quinn said.

Santana nodded and pulled her into a hug, "Tell me what's wrong before I go."

Quinn let out a slow breath, keeping her arms around her, debating on whether or not she should spill what she was feeling. "I liked having you here." She finally admitted, quickly adding, "And I miss Rachel too... even Tina."

Santana pulled back, only slightly, "You're lonely?"

Quinn shrugged, trying to cover the fact that she sometimes felt homesick, but not for Lima, it was for her friends. "Sometimes."

"I'll try and visit more often." Santana promised, surprised when Quinn pulled her back in for another hug. "Q, you're not going to start crying, are you?" she teased.

"Shut up, San." Quinn whispered, "I miss you guys, don't ruin the moment."

Santana nodded, "We miss you too, Quinn. Try and visit soon, kay?" she quietly said, embracing her friend for a few more minutes, before finally pulling back, surprised to find tears in Quinn's eyes, "I can stay another week. It's not like I have a job to get back to."

"No, no. Go. I'm fine." Quinn weakly smiled, trying to blink back the mist in her eyes, wondering why she was acting so emotional, "I know Rachel misses you. Those three phone calls a day don't tell me otherwise."

Santana lightly laughed, "Okay, I'll call you when I make it back." She said and reached down to grab her duffel bag, shouldering it and then began heading towards the boarding area, not before turning around to call out, "Those cats don't seem like such a bad idea now do they?"

"Oh, shut up, Santana!" Quinn laughed and then playfully shot her the finger. They each waved one last time, before Quinn finally turned around and headed back to her car, the drive back to her apartment leaving her with a feeling of loneliness.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn sighed as she entered her apartment, setting her stuff down and heading over to her bed, about to sprawl out onto it, but instead she reached out and grabbed a hoodie that wasn't hers, bringing it up to her nose and inhaling, before she grabbed her phone to text Santana.

 **Quinn - You left your hoodie here.**

 **Santana - For you**

 **Quinn – Me?**

 **Santana – U were poutin' all mornin', Q. It's my cheesy comfort gift for letting me stay there.**

 **Quinn -** _ ***eye roll emoji***_ **I wasn't pouting**

 **Santana – You were poutin. Now puts it on cuz I know you already be missin me!** _ ***wink emoji***_

 **Quinn – You are so lame, San. lol**

But Quinn did put the hoodie on, a goofy smile unknowingly spreading across her lips as she did. She let out a breath and sprawled out on her bed allowing her eyes to slip shut, falling into a light nap.

" _Quinn?" Santana whispered, rolling on her side to prop herself up on her elbow, "Are you still awake?"_

 _Quinn turned her head, opening her eyes, the moonlight coming in through the window helping her to adjust and focus on her serious expression, "What's wrong?"_

" _I can't sleep." She answered, shifting closer, her hand coming to rest carefully on Quinn's stomach._

 _Quinn watched as Santana's face turned into one of desire, her thumb brushing lightly back and forth against her skin, sending goose bumps and a pleasant chill throughout her body._

" _I was thinking..." Santana began as she moved even closer, her lips inches from her ear, "We could recreate a certain wedding night?"_

 _Quinn sucked in a sharp breath, slightly turning her head, her lips extremely close to Santana's now, the sudden delightful ache between her legs begging her not to protest, while her mind tried to remind her that Santana was newly divorced and this could be a bad idea._

" _Santana-"_

" _It's just fun." Santana assured the movement of her lips brushing against her own and suddenly Quinn was leaning forward and making the first move, "Wanky."_

 _Quinn smiled against her lips, reaching out to wrap her fingers around her shirt, tugging her on top, relishing in the pleasant and warm weight._

" _I've been dying to taste you again." Santana whispered, the crude comment causing Quinn to moan and spread her legs a little further, inviting Santana to come closer._

 _She could feel Santana smile against her neck due to her reaction, slipping her fingers in the back of her hair to tug her back so their lips were connected once again, Quinn sliding her tongue against her bottom lip, Santana's eagerly coming out to skillfully play with hers._

 _Quinn ghosted her fingers down Santana's back and up her shirt, the pads of her fingers happily tracing and massaging into her skin. "I haven't had-" she panted, bucking upward into Santana, whimpering when a hand slid up the front of her own shirt, "San..."_

" _I gotch you." Santana mumbled, trailing a path of kisses down her jaw and spending a few long glorious minutes on her collarbone, hearing a smacking sound which told her there would definitely be a mark left behind, but Quinn didn't care because before she knew it those expertly trained lips were on her stomach, her tongue swirling in the direction she needed them most._

" _Fuck." Quinn whimpered, positioning herself to get comfortable, one hand on Santana's shoulder, while the other wrapped around her long black hair._

All too soon though everything went dark and Quinn jolted awake, her body sweaty and her breathing ridged. She swallowed hard and looked around, the apartment disappointedly empty.

She fell back against the pillows staring up at the ceiling, shaking her head with disbelief, "Oh Dios mio."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Hey, Tinker Bell." Santana greeted as she dropped her duffle bag to the ground with a thud, stretching out some of the kinks in her back.

"Hey." Rachel smiled, delighted by the random, but very welcomed nickname, "I know we spoke over the phone several times, but how was Boston?"

"It was good." Santana nodded, walking by the petite brunette, only stopping when she felt a hand on her bicep.

Rachel tugged her close and into a hug, "I haven't seen you in two weeks."

Santana rolled her eyes, but accepted the hug, squeezing Rachel close, "You and Quinn have some real hugging problems." She teased, "But I'm glad to know you don't mind me living here."

"Of course not." Rachel said, pulling back to study her face, it was probably too soon to tell and she knew anything could trigger angst Santana in a second, but it seemed like the two week trip out to Boston with Quinn was good for Santana.

"What?" Santana questioned, finally pulling away, "Stop staring you're creeping me out."

"Nothing." Rachel softly smiled, "Want to meet the others for dinner?"

"Yeah." Santana said while pulling out her phone, "I'm going to call Quinn first and let her know I'm home." She said holding her phone up, before hitting Quinn's number, "Hey, Q." She paused a beat her face scrunching up with confusion, "Why are you out of breath?"

Rachel watched as Santana disappeared into the bedroom, letting out a breath of relief. There was still sadness hidden in her eyes, but on some level Rachel had a feeling Santana was headed in the right direction, even if it was still going to be a little bumpy.

* * *

 **Meh - I didn't really like this chapter. What did you guys think?**

 **Also sorry it's short. I had writers block, but I think I know how I want the story to go from here on out - so hopefully that means faster updates!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"And that's why I think your restaurant is bull shit." Rachel read out loud, staring blankly at the computer screen. She looked to Santana and then back to the laptop, every time she read a sentence Santana's voice echoing through her head.

"It's good, right?" Santana smiled, taking the laptop back so she could re-read her work.

Rachel chewed her bottom lip with thought, unsure with how to proceed with her opinion, "Santana, I know we didn't have an enjoyable time, but do you really think writing a bad review is going to be helpful?"

"May I remind you about our dining experience at chef boy-r-disgusting?" Santana questioned with a look of repulsion expressed on her face, "The waiter was a first class asshole, the food was terrible and you almost ate meat!"

Rachel nodded with a small shudder. The memory of the fork of what was supposed to be a meatless dish coming way to close to her lips, it almost touching her tongue before Santana thankfully smacked the fork out of her hand.

Rachel sighed and waved her hand as she stood up, "Post it if you must."

"Oh I must and I already did." Santana grinned as she sat back, watching the computer screen, her smile faltering a little, "It's not like anyone is going to see it." She shrugged, "Do people even read blogs anymore? Maybe I should a start vlog? I do have the looks for it."

"Can you really call it a blog when all you do is criticize everything?"

"I'm just telling the truth." Santana mumbled, not feeling an ounce of guilt, "The people need to know. Plus..." She began, with a clear of her throat, her voice low, "It's kind of therapeutic."

Rachel turned around, sending her a small look of approval. When it came to singing or being on stage, she could totally relate to the therapeutic part. "Maybe your next one can be something kind?" she suggested and wasn't surprised when Santana's face twisted into one of confusion, "Come on, it wouldn't hurt."

"I don't know, Rach. I don't think it'd really fit with my vibe." Her attention moving to her phone when it buzzed with a text, smiling as she read it, "Ha, Kurt loved it, oh and Quinn." She said, lightly laughing as she read the blonde's text, "She told me to tell you it was insightful and informative."

Rachel gasped, "How did she even know my thoughts."

"It's Quinn." Santana stated and that was all the explanation she needed to give for Rachel to slightly nod in agreement.

"I miss her, we need to plan a visit soon or she comes here." Rachel suggested, walking back over to join Santana on the couch once again.

"She's coming next week." Santana said turning to look at Rachel, "For work."

"Good." Rachel said, "It's been too long."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn quickly burst through Rachel's apartment door, wheeling in a suitcase and shoving it to the side, "Hey guys!" she greeted with a quick wave, "I'm going to be late, I'll see you in like two hours." And with that she was back out the door.

Santana and Rachel stood there, looking from the door then to each other, Santana the first to shake her head with disapproval.

"She's going to overwork herself." Santana declared sitting back down on the couch and picking up her phone.

Rachel smoothed out her dress and nodded, sitting back down, "Hmm, perhaps we should prepare a nice meal for her for when she returns?"

Santana nodded, her eyes still glued to her iphone, "Yes. Cook her up one of your healthy things, lord knows she needs it. The last time I was there I swear her fridge was starting to breed take out boxes." Her thumbs tapping at her screen, not looking up once as she added, "I'll cook the meat. "

Rachel smiled as she stood up, "You're helping me?"

Santana finished whatever she was doing and then finally looked up, tossing her phone on the coffee table, "Because leafy greens aren't going to be enough, that girl needs some protein."

"Eee." Rachel clasped her hands together, loving the thought of working in the kitchen with her friend, turning and skipping towards that part of the apartment, "I'll pour the wine!"

Santana sighed as she stood up, "What kind of Rachel Berry fantasy have I've gotten myself into?"

A few hours later Quinn entered the apartment, the aroma of food hitting her right away, causing her to smile. She really could get used to coming home to home cooked meals more often. She rounded the corner, finding Rachel talking about who knows what while she stood in front of the stove, while Santana held a glass of wine in her hand, bored and leaning against the counter, occasionally glancing to her phone while nodding along to whatever Rachel was rambling on about. They looked like a couple and it sent an unwanted chill of jealousy through her entire body.

"Smells good." Quinn finally managed to say with a clear of her throat, finally pulling Santana out of her daze and causing Rachel to turn around.

"Did you make it on time?" Santana asked, watching as Quinn approached her, stealing the wine glass from her hand, bringing it to her lips and draining the white liquid from the glass, "Thirsty?"

Quinn let out a breath, reaching around Santana to grab the bottle so she could refill it, "Ugh, barley. But the meeting went well."

"I'm happy to hear." Rachel smiled, "Dinner is just about ready too. I assume you're hungry?"

"Starved."

"I'll be right back." Santana suddenly piped in, pressing her phone to her ear and leaving the room "Hello?"

Rachel turned the stove off and then grabbed a few plates to dish out the food, "So do you think you'll be in New York more often? I think that'd be really great if that were the case."

"It's a possibility." Quinn nodded, about to elaborate on what she was working on, but Santana abruptly burst back into the kitchen, wearing one of her award winning smiles, one nobody had seen in such a long time.

"I'll have my lawyer look through it." She said into the phone, coming over and tugging at Quinn's arm, her eyes filled with nothing but hopefulness, mouthing the words _I need your help_ and Quinn had no choice but to agree. "Okay, I'll talk with her and schedule an appointment. Thank you, bye."

"My goodness, Santana. What was that about?" Rachel inquired, turning to exam the ecstatic girl.

"What exactly do you need my help with?" came Quinn's worried response.

"That was the head of Real Talk magazine and somehow, through the almighty goddess of destiny, she found my blogs and loved them! She wants to give me a column in her magazine."

Quinn and Rachel both shook their heads, Quinn being the brave one to speak up first, "This sounds way too good to be true, San."

"She's emailing me the details and that's why you're coming to this interview thing with me to make sure I don't get fucked over."

Quinn and Rachel both shared a look; Rachel shrugged with uncertainty, while Quinn watched Santana's face, it nothing but anticipation and hopefulness and it caused her to finally nod in agreement.

"Fine, I have a few morning meetings, but we can speak with them in the afternoon."

"Thank you!" Santana smirked, pulling her into a hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek, turning and doing the same to Rachel and then heading out of the kitchen, "Going to find something to wear!" She called out.

Rachel pursed her lips with thought, her eyes meeting Quinn's, "I hope this is real because I haven't seen her that happy in a long time."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn stopped Santana before they entered the large building, placing both hands on her shoulders and holding eye contact, "So just be yourself and when we start discussing the contract just let me do most of the talking, okay? I read it over more than once and it looks really great, but we don't want to lose out, okay?"

"Okay." Santana nodded, letting out a nervous breath, "Thanks for doing this for me."

Quinn nodded, brushing some lint from Santana's shoulders and fixing the lapels of her collar, "You got this. You're Santana Fucking Lopez."

Santana couldn't help but smile, resisting the urge to hug her on the sidewalk in front of the building of her potentially new work place.

"Let's go." Quinn smirked, dropping her hands by her sides, the two of them entering the building, Santana surprised and delighted to see that Quinn's entire body language changed as soon as they crossed the threshold. She wasn't Quinn Fabray her best friend, now she was Quinn Fabray her kick ass lawyer.

The interview was just like any other, only Santana was actually excited about this job and as far as she could tell she was acing it. When it came time for Quinn to talk however, Santana was in complete awe. She knew Quinn worked her ass off to get where she was and it definitely paid off and now to see her in action gave her a whole new perspective on what Quinn was capable of and she was filled with nothing but admiration towards her. She could only wonder what Quinn would be like in a courtroom setting, her tone dominating and stern, her posture intimidating but reassuring, her mind suddenly slipping into a small daydream that sent a pleasant chill down her spine. _Quinn is fucking sexy._

She didn't realize how big she was smiling until it faltered when she felt two pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Santana?" Quinn questioned, turning to look at the big boss sitting across the desk from them, "Would you mind if we discuss the terms in private before she signs?"

"Not at all. I'll leave you two alone." She smiled, getting up and heading out of her office.

Quinn waited until the door clicked, before she turned in her chair, fully facing Santana, "You obviously have a horseshoe up your ass because this contract is great." She grabbed the pages and flipped through them again, "Paid vacation, benefits, you only have to come here two days a week...you get to work from home. You can even afford a small apartment on your own. This is a dream job for anyone."

"So I should sign?"

"You would be stupid not to sign."

"This all just happened so fast." Santana said suddenly feeling nervous.

Quinn reached out, taking her hand, "What do you have to lose?"

"You're right, Quinn." Santana said smiling just as her new boss entered the office, "We have a deal." She said standing up to shake her hand before signing the papers.

When they were out of the building, Santana grabbed Quinn's hand, tugging her in the direction of a liquor store, "Come on! It's celebration time."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So let me get this straight." Kurt began, sitting next to Blaine closely on the loveseat, a drink in his hand, watching as Tina, Quinn, Rachel, Blaine and Santana all poured their attention onto him, "You wrote a few blogs criticizing restaurants, movies, celebrities and whatever – then out of millions of blogs on the internet this chick finds yours and you get a job?"

"What can I say?" Santana cheekily grinned, holding up a drink in her hand, giving cheers to an invisible presence, "The universe loves me." She paused and took a long drink, "And fucking owes me."

"I think I speak for everyone when I say we are all flabbergasted, but just as easily happy for you, Santana." Rachel smiled.

Santana nodded with gratefulness and then stood up, "So how drunk are all of you? Because it's my night and I want to play some strip poker. I want to see the goods you all are hidin'"

There were five nods approval, the one and only disapproval coming from Rachel, who eventually begrudgingly followed her friends to the table, succumbing and joining the game.

Rachel soon found out she had very little to worry about when it came to de-clothing, because it somehow became a flirty game between Quinn and Santana, and Rachel being the most sober had seemed to be the only one to notice. While Kurt, Blaine, Tina and herself chose people sparingly, Quinn and Santana had seemed to playfully banter and chose only each other, Santana throwing her off one time, causing her cheeks to flush a bright red when Santana asked her to remove her top and she now sat in just a thin white tank.

"Alright, Q." Santana grinned, eyeing the cards in her hands and then looking across the table to find Quinn's poker face, "I think I'm about to find out if you're wearing that pink lacy thong." Confident in her full house, spreading the cards against the table top.

Quinn bit her bottom lip, a certain sparkle in her eye, "Geeze, San, looks like we're all about to see those lovely enhanced tits of yours." She wittedly replied, laying a four of kind on the table.

"I've been dying to see them up close." Kurt smirked, high fiving Quinn once her cards were laid out and she was declared the winner.

"Now wait a second!" Rachel shirked, "She's down to her bra and underwear."

"Which would make her the loser, since we discussed that underwear were to remain on." Blaine informed her, "I mean we can stop now and Santana can keep her bra on. We all know who lost."

"No-those aren't the rules." Quinn spoke up, thanking the alcohol she consumed for the liquid courage to speak up.

Kurt clapped with an excited nodded, "Let the ladies free."

Santana smiled as she reached behind herself and with one snap her bra was hanging off of her and then eventually it slid to the ground.

"They're very perky." Tina said in awe, unable to look away, as with everyone else.

"And worth every penny." Santana proudly stated.

Blaine and Kurt simply nodded, while Rachel huffed and stood up searching the ground for Santana's shirt.

"Quinn? You're awfully quiet. Are you taking in your winnings?" Santana taunted.

Quinn stared straight ahead, licking her lips, not sure if she remembered to blink yet, "Mmhm." She cleared her throat, shaking her head, but it didn't help and her eyes were still very wide and open.

"Game over." Rachel finally said throwing Santana's shirt at her, it helping to take Quinn out of her daze.

"We're going to get going." Kurt said Blaine and Tina both standing up to give hugs and head out the door, while Rachel, Quinn and Santana began to clean up.

"So, Q..." Santana began with a smirk dancing on her lips, titling her head to the side as Quinn bent over to pick up a few pillows off of the ground that had fallen off of the couch, "I just have to know, were you wearing the pink lacy thong?"

Rachel's eyebrows creased with curiosity, gathering a few wine glasses off the coffee table, watching as Quinn stood up, nothing but playfulness shining bright on her face. She tossed the pillows on the couch and then walked over to Santana, splaying her hand against her stomach, "Actually, San... I'm not wearing any underwear at all." She winked, gently shoving her away and then headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Santana sucked in a sharp breath, pursing her lips, watching the blonde walk away, "Damn."

"Santana..." Rachel sighed as she headed for the kitchen to put the wine glasses in the sink.

"What?"

Rachel turned around just as Santana entered the kitchen, giving her a look, "What is this between you two?"

"Rach, it's nothing. Quinn and I always get like this when we drink together." Santana answered, but Rachel's concern didn't disappear, "Rachel, I swear it's nothing. It's the alcohol, we're just having fun."

Rachel stood in silence for a few seconds, contemplating what Santana was telling her. It did just seem like harmless flirty fun between friends. She just didn't want to see Santana jump into something too fast and get hurt again. Finally she nodded, "Okay."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Quinn." Rachel softly said, gently nudging the sleeping blonde on the couch, "Your train leaves in two hours, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Quinn groaned, slowly opening her eyes. Her throat was sore, her body ached and she had a pounding headache, "Fuck."

"Are you sick?" Rachel questioned, her voice rising to a higher pitch, the possibility causing her to jump away from Quinn and cover her mouth, "I haven't missed one performance yet and it will be a cold day in hell before I do miss one!"

"You mentioned my home being cold?" Santana teased as she walked out of the bedroom, her curiosity heightening at the sight of Rachel using her shirt to cover her nose and mouth. "What. The. Fuck."

"I don't feel good. She's freaking out." Quinn mentioned, pulling the covers up and under her chin, shutting her eyes to rest for another few minutes.

"We can't send her home on the train like this." Rachel mumbled through her shirt.

Santana looked from Quinn and then to Rachel, nodding in agreement, "I'll see if I can book a last minute ticket. I'll take her home."

Quinn's eyes snapped open, scrunching her forehead with surprise, "San, you don't have to."

"Quinn, I know you're normally pale, but you look like a snowman. I think your hair is even lighter." Santana said grabbing her phone to look for train tickets, "So I'm going back to Boston with you. I get to work from home remember? I can do stuff like this." She smiled with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"I'll go pack her stuff." Rachel said quickly vacating the living room, her first stop the bathroom to wash any potential germs off of her.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Hey, Rachel." Santana said with her phone pressed to her ear, following Quinn inside the apartment, "We made it." She answered as she shut the door and then turned to watch Quinn pull her Mac book from her bag, "She was burning up on the train and now she thinks I'm going to let her do work." She snipped, ignoring the eye roll Quinn had given her as she walked by to start rummaging through Quinn's dresser. "I'll text you later." She said and then hung up, placing her phone on the top of the dresser.

"Santana, what are you doing?" Quinn asked from her spot at the kitchen table, her voice low and her body trembling with aches and chills, but she was still pushing through it and trying to log onto her email before Santana came to put a stop to it, not even caring that she was going through her clothes.

"You're taking a shower and then putting on some pajamas and going to bed." Santana answered spinning around to hold up sweat pants and a t-shirt she found and then marched over to the table, closing the Mac, nearly shutting it on Quinn's fingers. "Q."

"San." Quinn sighed, crossing her arms and leaning back against the chair, she and Santana having a silent stare down, but eventually Quinn gave in and nodded, the cold taking over her body and warranting her too weak to argue. She stood up taking a step closer to Santana, her hand on the clothes, "You never cared like this before." She whispered.

Santana's face softened, handing the clothes over to Quinn, "Well I've been through a lot of shit these past eight months and you and Rachel really came through for me. Plus you just helped me land a sick ass job. So, I'm going to take care of you."

"In that case, there's soup in the cupboard." Quinn smirked, brushing pass her to head to the bathroom.

"Wait, I was thinking I'd get to help you shower, not cook." Santana teased,

"You wish, San." Quinn said, as she quickly shut the door to the bathroom, letting out a ragged breath, because let's be honest, _Quinn_ wished.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was the middle of the night and what Quinn hoped was just a 24hour sickness was in fact not. Her throat still hurt and her body still ached and her head was pounding, but there was one good thing, she was warm, thanks to Santana. She remembered falling asleep facing away from her friend, not wanting to be responsible in getting her sick, but obviously sometime in the night they had shifted onto their sides facing each other and now Quinn was nestled quite nicely in Santana's arms.

She winced when she swallowed and she could swear there were a million tiny knives in her throat, stabbing her every which way. She shifted slowly, aches and pains tugging at her muscles, the duvet exposing her shoulder causing a nasty chill to run through her body, prompting her to wrap her fingers around Santana's shirt, her knuckles brushing the warm skin against her smooth stomach, it inviting her to move closer, but Quinn also wanted to take some more medicine.

She pulled her head slightly back, not realizing how close she was to Santana until her nose lightly brushed along her throat, a pang of guilt coursing through her, Santana acted tough, but she was definitely going to get sick with how close they were tangled together.

Santana was there to take care of her, and Quinn was about to utilize that and wake her up, but when the faint light coming in through her window revealed her peaceful features, Quinn decided to let her sleep. She softly smiled at the sight, almost thankful she had woken up to witness the beauty before her. Quinn and Rachel had both held her through the night while she was crying, but as each day passed, Santana became stronger and right now as she slept, Quinn could tell just how far she'd come by the restful look on her face. Her full lips were slightly parted, her hair was framed almost perfectly around her face, some spilling over her shoulder, and her eyebrows once creased with worry and sadness, were now relaxed and calm.

Her eyes lingered on her lips for a few seconds, her tongue slowly sliding out to wet her dry ones, remembering a time when she was privileged enough to get to taste those skilled lips, but before her mind had wandered into a delightful memory, her throat reminded her that she was in no state to be thinking of such wonderful pleasures.

She whimpered and attempted to roll on her back, preparing for her mission to walk to the kitchen to grab the Nyquil, alas a hand slid pleasantly up the middle of her back and pulled her back into the warmth that always seemed to be radiating from Santana.

"Where are you going?"

Quinn was surprised to hear the mumbled words, wondering for a short second if she was awake this entire time and Santana caught her staring.

"I was going to take another shot of Nyquil."

"Mmm."

Quinn waited a beat, the room going silent again, questioning whether or not Santana had fallen back to sleep, and just as Quinn was about to tilt her head up to check, Santana was gently rolling Quinn onto her back, the blonde taking enjoyment in the sudden weight, which was gone all too quickly since Santana was just climbing over her to get out of bed.

"I'll get it."

Quinn rolled onto her side and watched her fumble through the kitchen, sitting up when Santana walked back over to the bed, letting out a giant yawn that lasted all the way until she reached the nightstand and placed the Nyquil and a bottle of water on top. Before she could reach out for it though, there was a sudden hand pressed against her forehead, and then the back of Santana's hand was placed on her cheek.

"You feel like shit." Santana stated.

"Geeze, thanks, San." Quinn replied her voice hoarse and her body trembling with every second she wasn't covered by her blanket.

"I'm just saying, good thing it's Saturday tomorrow. I think your body needs the rest." Santana said, deciding to grab the Nyquil and pour Quinn the shot for her.

Quinn only nodded, thankful it was the weekend as well, finally grabbing the liquid from Santana and downing the medicine, grimacing as soon as it hit her tongue. She placed the empty cup back on the nightstand and then fell back against the pillows letting out a slow breath. She looked over when Santana crawled back into bed, "You're so going to catch this."

"I'm not." Santana assured her, sliding closer, "Now you want to be spooned or what? This bitch is going to use her body heat to scare your bitch ass flu away. I'm way bigger and badder, so look out. "

"I don't even think badder is a word." Quinn mused, but she eagerly turned onto her side, nearly melting when Santana molded into her back and a protective arm draped over her stomach and pulled her close.

"Goodnight." Santana whispered.

"Goodnight." Quinn replied, her eyes getting heavy, feeling a wave of what she could only describe as bittersweet wash over her, the Nyquil was already making her sleepy which was great, but she also wished she could stay awake just a little while longer to enjoy the embrace she was sharing with Santana.

* * *

 **They're all flirty and close now - but heads up I'm not going to make it that easy for them. *evil laughter***


	7. Chapter 7

**So here's a warning: _This chapter should probably be rated M (You have been warned!)_**

 **Also the response this story is getting is amazing me! Thank you guys so much for sticking with it and leaving such wonderful reviews, they are huge motivators. I hope I can keep on entertaining you!**

 **I feel like I should also add: _I don't own Glee or any of the characters. I'm simply having fun! Because let's be honest, if I did, Quinntana so would have been endgame._**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

"So, come on, Q." Santana mumbled her eyes glued to her phone, thumb scrolling through whatever she was looking at, "What's so important you took a train ride all the way here just to tell us in person? You finally get laid?"

"Santana." Rachel chastised, reaching out to place her hand on her wrist so she would lower her phone, "Don't be so impolite."

Quinn stood before the two of them, who were seated on the couch. Santana's comment didn't even faze her; she was pretty excited and almost certain the two of them were going to be thrilled as well once she told them what was going on.

"Okay, so, as you know I've been working my ass off this past month, both here and in Boston." She began with a small smirk, watching Rachel's face light up a little having kind of caught on to where this could go, while Santana still needed more information. Santana was adorably clueless sometimes and it always made her internally _"awwww"_ whenever she witnessed it. She studied Santana's face for a few seconds longer, before clasping her hands together and letting out a breath, finally finishing with, "So they want to transfer me here."

Rachel sat up straight, her face shining with nothing but joy, "You'll be moving to New York City?"

The wheels in Santana's head began turning and she finally caught on, her ears perking up and a smile discovering her lips, "No way, Quinn. That's awesome!"

"You won't even believe what I'm about to tell you." Rachel squeaked with happiness, getting up to go and pull her friend into a congratulatory hug, pulling away, but keeping her at arm's length so she could deliver the information, "The couple across the hall is moving. You need to fill out an application." She pulled Quinn into another tight hug, "We could be neighbours!"

"Easy there, little bear." Santana smirked, walking around the coffee table to gently tug Rachel out of the crushing embrace, "The girl needs to breath." She teased, finally able to pull her in for a warm embrace of her own, "Seriously, fill the application out. It'll be easier to walk across the hall to visit you than to take a train. Also, congratulations."

"Thank you." Quinn whispered, her lips brushing against Santana's cheek as they pulled away, resisting the urge to press a kiss to it.

"So when do you move?" Santana asked.

"Two weeks."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Santana exclaimed, quickly coming over to Quinn who was on one side of her couch, while Blaine was on the other, the two of them about to carry it into the apartment, "Hold on there, She-Hulk. Don't you have a bad back from that car accident way back in high school?"

"Santana, I'm fine now." Quinn assured, squatting lightly, but was frustrated to find that Blaine's face now showed nothing but concern and he didn't follow suit. "Lift with my legs, not with my back. You guys I'm fine."

Santana shook her head, gently nudging Quinn out of the way, "How about we do the heavy lifting and you can help Rachel go through your boxes."

"I've organized them and placed them in certain areas to make it easier for us." Rachel brightly explained, "Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room and miscellaneous."

"I'm going to help Kurt with the dresser!" Tina quickly piped up as she walked out of the bathroom just in time to hear Rachel's voice mention _organize,_ her body turning in the direction of the door and out she went before unpacking became more of a nightmare than it already was.

Santana flashed Quinn her award winning smile, sending her a wink, "Have fun."

"You're a bitch." Quinn mumbled with a hint of playfulness, but she had to admit it was cute that Santana was saving her from any potential back injury. She just hoped Rachel wouldn't get on her nerves by getting carried away with the unpacking. Although she supposed Rachel made it easier by keeping it as organized as she could with everything a mess.

Almost two hours later, Quinn and Rachel made their way to the kitchen, Quinn not entirely surprised that the two worked well together. What she thought was going to be an annoying task, actually turned into an enjoyable one, it made her even happier about her move to the city. She wanted to be around her friends more and she was finally granted that wish.

"She's pregnant with their third child." Rachel informed Quinn as they delved into a conversation about Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury, admiring Rachel for keeping in contact with their former glee coach and pretty much mentor, making a mental note to drop him a line when she had the chance.

"I'm really happy for them." Quinn quietly replied before Rachel elaborated some more on what the married couple were up to. She was listening and interested for the most part, until Kurt, Blaine, Tina and Santana caught her eye, the four of them staring at Quinn's bed frame.

"Who was the genius that decided to put it together before we brought it into the room?" Santana asked, her eyes focused on Blaine and Kurt, if looks could kill they'd be gone in seconds.

Blaine and Kurt nervously laughed, the two of them shrugging.

"Maybe we can try and fit it through the door through some fancy manoeuvring?" Tina said, trying to offer some kind of positivity.

Quinn slowly put a cup on the counter, Rachel's voice drowning out when Quinn noticed Santana had taken her t-shirt off and was down to a tank top, a white one and with the light sweat glistening her body it only made the material gratefully see through. Her eyes leisurely roamed the toned figure, remembering Santana had mentioned that she started running more and also took up kickboxing, the tight muscles on her biceps indicating that she was definitely working hard to stay in shape. Her appreciation only grew when Santana stretched her arms over her head, the tank top rising to reveal a glorious view of her abs, her hip bones pretty much marking a path to the belt of her jeans causing her to lick her lips.

Suddenly that perfect body was coming closer, a faint mumble of Spanish filling her ears as Santana approached, causing Quinn to back up against the counter, as Santana reached around her to grab a bottle of water, expecting her to smell of sweat and hard work, but instead Quinn was rewarded with a whiff of coconuts.

"It'd be better if this were a beer or something." Santana said, holding the bottle of water up for Quinn to see, and then turning around, not before dropping it on the ground though, "Fuck off."

Quinn's eyes went wide at the sight, her jeans hugging her ass just right, deciding that her medically enhanced breasts had nothing on her ass and she had to somehow get her hands on it. All too soon though Santana was standing upright and heading back to the other three, taking a well deserved long drink.

"I wish I was that water bottle." Quinn mumbled, not realizing it was out loud.

"Pardon me?"

Quinn's face went hot, burning a bright red, waiting a beat before she turned around to face Rachel, hand on hip, face full of disbelief.

"Can I speak to you across the hallway please, Quinn?"

"I uh-"

Quinn didn't have much of a choice, because soon there was a tiny, but strong arm wrapped around her bicep, forcing her out of the apartment and over to Rachel's.

"Stop it!" Rachel suddenly blurted once she let go of Quinn and shut the door.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"You were ogling!" Rachel demanded, "I caught you! Oh my god, I just knew it."

"Knew what exactly?" Quinn asked, her heart picking up speed, her hands going clammy.

Rachel sighed, crossing and uncrossing her arms, not wanting to assume anything, but with what she was witnesses recently between her and Santana, and the drool practically dripping from Quinn's mouth only seconds before kind of confirmed it. Not to mention her sixth sense she occasionally bragged about.

"You have a crush on Santana!" she accused, waiting for Quinn's denial, but to her surprise she didn't disagree with her and instead a wistful smile accompanied Quinn's lips, one she tried to bite away by chewing on her bottom lip, but Rachel could still see a spark of delight hidden in her eyes. "Quinn!"

"I can't help it, Rachel!" Quinn proclaimed, waving her hands in the air helplessly.

"No!"

"What do you mean no?" Quinn asked finally containing her arms, crossing them and challenging Rachel to argue with her. These were her feelings; Rachel had no right to get involved.

Rachel's face softened, the look on her face almost defeated. She couldn't' believe out of everyone she would have to explain this to Quinn, "It's only been ten months since her divorce, Quinn. She's not ready."

"Who gave you permission to decide when she's ready?"

"I've been living with her for one." Rachel began, "She may seem fine, but she's still healing."

Quinn went silent, her smile turning into a thin line of thought, contemplating the situation, but just before she allowed herself to acknowledge that Rachel was probably right, her stubbornness took over and she shook her head.

"How about we let her decide when she's ready." Quinn stated as she moved towards the door.

Rachel let out a breath with a roll of her eyes, "Someone's going to get hurt again. Do you really want to risk the friendship?"

Quinn's hand hovered over the doorknob. Rachel was almost definitely right, but it wasn't something Quinn wanted to hear right now, so she pulled the door open and went back to her apartment.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So when do we celebrate Quinn finally being a part of the New York crew?" Kurt asked from his spot on the ground in front of the coffee table, one slice of pizza left all by itself in the greasy pizza box.

"I'm free next weekend." Tina offered, Blaine nodding in agreement.

Kurt looked up at Rachel, an invisible wave of tension suddenly wafting through the air as he followed her glare to the couch, where Quinn was happily holding a glass of wine in her hand, and Santana's head was slowly sagging to the blonde's shoulder, trying her hardest to keep her eyes open.

"Am I missing something?" Kurt finally asked out loud, getting the funniest feeling that he was missing out on an important piece of drama happening right in front of him, something he would definitely be questioning Rachel about later.

"I'm free next weekend." Quinn quietly smiled as she took a sip of her wine, eyeing Rachel over the brim of her glass, letting out a satisfied breath when at last Santana's head made contact with her shoulder and the long day of lifting and frustration and shouting profanities at Kurt and Blaine for doing everything wrong caught up with her and she was out. A wave of giddiness washed over her and she had to muster all of her willpower to not wrap her arm around Santana's shoulders and pull her closer.

"Mmhm." Rachel simply nodded, her usual chatty self uncharacteristically quiet as their night came to an end, "We should get going."

Blaine sat back on his hands, observing Santana and letting out a big yawn himself before speaking, "I'd just let Santana stay here, she's already passed out."

"That's a great idea." Quinn smirked, already daydreaming about how she'd wake Santana up once everyone was gone and offer her a massage. There was no doubt Santana wouldn't refuse and then her fingers could happily be acquainted with Santana's toned figure.

"I think not." Rachel countered, abruptly standing up and ignoring the judgmental looks of disbelief as she clapped her hands in front of Santana's face, "Santana!"

"Fuck off, what!?" Santana jolted awake, nearly spilling the wine that was in Quinn's hand, looking around until finally her eyes narrowed in on the person responsible for interrupting her slumber, "What the fuck, scream-ella?"

"Everyone is leaving, let's go." Rachel demanded almost daring to reach out and grab Santana's upper arm, but she resisted, not wanting to deal with the repercussions of performing such an act.

Tina snorted as she stood up, "Are you two dating? Is that why Santana hasn't found a new place to live yet?"

Kurt couldn't help but offer a witty smile along with Tina, waving his hand in their direction, "Yeah, because this just screams possessive crazy girlfriend."

"As if I'd let anyone own me." Santana snickered and finally stood up, stretching the kinks out of her back, a sudden playful thought entering her foul mind, "Although, if there were handcuffs involved." She teased and proceeded to teasingly tap Rachel's nose, causing Quinn to chug the rest of the red liquid from her glass.

"Enough, Santana." Rachel sighed, batting her hand away, "I just thought you'd want to be where your things are and take a shower and go to bed."

"A bed you two share." Kurt mischievously stated while he looped his arm through Tina's, who was enjoying the banter just as much as he was.

Santana shook her head as she headed for the door, "I sleep on the couch now." she shrugged, "Rachel was too much of a blanket hog."

Quinn let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. This new information thrilling her more than anyone could know. Santana still shared a bed with her every time she visited her in Boston that had to say something.

"Okay, so next weekend?" Blaine decided to chime in, putting an end to the jabs and the taunts when he noticed just how red Rachel's face had become and for some reason the look of irritation on Quinn's.

"If it involves drinking and dancing, I'm in." Santana said with a goofy smile and two thumbs up, "Goodnight, losers." She waved and was the first to leave.

Kurt stayed behind as Blaine and Tina left, tugging Rachel aside before she entered her apartment, "Is there something you need to share with the class, Rach?"

Rachel's eyebrows creased with concern, but she sighed and shook her head, "No, it's nothing."

"Okay." Kurt said unsurely, watching her for a few seconds and then finally pulling her into a hug, "If you need to talk, call me."

"Mmhm. Goodnight, Kurt." Rachel said, squeezing him close.

When she entered her apartment she shut the door and leaned against the wall, exhausted just by Quinn's sudden revelation and her sudden need to protect Santana. She considered Quinn to be one of her best friends, but this crush had seemed to make her blind and she didn't want to see anyone get hurt, especially after all Santana had been through. It was all too quick and she was still bewildered that Quinn didn't seem to get that. And now to top it off, Kurt thought _she_ was the one who had secret feelings for Santana.

"Lord, please give me the strength to handle this drama." Rachel muttered to the heavens as she pushed off the door and headed to her bedroom, happy to hear the shower running because she definitely needed to be alone right now.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn stood at the kitchen counter as she poured herself a drink. She decided to shelf the wine tonight and go for the hard stuff, because tonight she had a plan and she needed some liquid courage to make it happen.

Just as she finished mixing the ginger-ale and vodka in her cup, her phone buzzed and she smiled when Santana's name flashed on the screen, indicating she had a text.

 **Santana: Come over. Let's drink while we get ready.**

 **Quinn: Be there in 2mins.**

 **Santana: Door is open.**

Quinn set her phone down, taking a big drink, wincing a little when the vodka splashed in the back of her throat, something she was going to power through as she chugged the rest of it and quickly made herself a second one. She checked herself over in the mirror, not completely ready, but she would finish applying her makeup and touch up her hair with Santana. She smoothed her hands over her navy blue strapless dress, the top half forming nicely around her breast showing off a little bit of cleavage, while the bottom flowed out and showed off her smooth legs.

Her feet were bare as she padded across the hall and entered Rachel's apartment, finding Santana sitting on the couch in sweat pants and a tank top, the comfy look not affecting her beauty at all, but obviously Santana was taking her sweet ass time to get ready, a tactic to piss off Rachel she would bet.

"Hey." Santana smirked, "Rachel's about to get in the shower."

"And I see you're keeping it extremely casual tonight?" Quinn teased as she took a spot on the couch next to Santana, leaning over to look in the cup she was holding, "Please tell me you're already pre-drinking too?"

Santana looked down at her outfit, shrugging as she turned to give Quinn a drunken smile, "I would still probably get numbers wearing this. And yes, the drinks have been poured."

"I'm surprised this apartment building can handle your ego, San."

Santana's eyebrow rose with amusement, "Someone's drink is full of wit tonight." She finished the rest of hers and held up the empty cup, "Speaking of, I'm ready for another."

"Me too." Quinn said holding her cup up and shaking it from side to side, indicating that there was only ice left.

Santana shifted to the edge of the couch, taking a moment and lightly laughing as she held her head, "You never really know how drunk you are until you try and stand up. It's going to be fun trying to get ready." She mumbled, attempting to stand again, but the alcohol got the best of her and she wobbled, quickly reaching out and grabbing Quinn's arm, the two tumbling to the ground with a thud. "Aye, maybe I should drink some water or I won't be making it out tonight."

Quinn let out a quiet laugh, lifting herself up and crawling over to Santana who had sprawled out onto her back, "Are you okay?"

"The room isn't spinning, so I think I should be fine." Santana informed her, moving to sit up on her elbows, "Sorry I took you down with me."

"It's fine." Quinn whispered, finding herself relaxed with a nice buzz. Not yet on the verge of being out of control yet, but most definitely in the mindset of feeling carefree, which gave her the valour to sit astride Santana's waist.

Santana watched with confusion and curiosity, her face flushing due to the pleasant weight and the sudden lustful look in Quinn's eyes, a look she remembered all too well, "Q?"

"Yeah, San?" Quinn quietly replied, leaning down already on her mission to fulfill her desire, resting her hands gently on either side of Santana's neck and finally pressing their lips together.

A surprise moan was released from Santana's throat and she lowered herself back down to the ground, her hands finding a comfortable resting spot on Quinn's hips, while the blonde's tongue asked for entrance to Santana's mouth by slowly running it along her bottom lip. That's when Santana assumed and figured the only reason Quinn was acting this way was because she was drunk, a huge indicator being the taste of alcohol hitting her taste buds when their tongues finally battled together. It seemed like it was going to be a repeat of Mr. Schue's wedding, only this time Santana wasn't sure how long it was going to last, because Rachel was close by in the shower. She couldn't blame Quinn either, the ego in her only brightening as their kiss grew more heated, the urge to stop this situation flaming completely out.

Quinn slid her hands under Santana's tank top and along her ribs, capturing her bottom lip into her mouth and sucking as her nails raked pleasantly along her skin.

"Fuck, Quinn." Santana whimpered, trying to regain some dominance, her hand slipping into the back of Quinn's hair, her fingers wrapping around her blonde tresses, gently tugging as she nipped and then controlled the kiss by slowing down the movement of their lips, pressing a few quick teasing pecks to her top and then bottom lip, gradually and pleasurably building back up to a heated lip lock.

Quinn pulled back after a few long glorious minutes, only so she could grab a lungful of air, her forehead resting against Santana's, their noses rubbing together, her hips involuntarily bucking against the girl below her, mentally cursing the skirt part of her dress for getting in the way. Her lips brushed along Santana's jaw, her wet kisses lingering longer and longer until they were wrapped around the sensitive part at the dip of Santana's neck, smiling when she heard Santana curse her name for a second time.

After leaving behind a faint mark Quinn sat up, contemplating only for a quick second on whether she was going to straddle Santana's thigh, or selfishly hoard all of the friction to herself, quickly coming to the resolution that she hadn't gotten any in a really long time, so she fanned the skirt of her dress out, and lowered herself back down onto Santana's firm lower stomach, grinding experimentally, sucking in a sharp breath when she hit the right spot, Santana's abs doing a fine job in providing satisfaction, probably even more so than her thigh would have been able to.

She lowered back down, her hips moving in a slow rhythm, her lips pressed against Santana's ear, "Feel anything lacy, San?" she managed to sultry whisper, smiling when she felt and heard a moan rumble through Santana's chest.

Santana immediately turned her head, crashing her lips into Quinn's, Quinn losing her dominance the more the friction between her legs heated up, while Santana tried her best to keep her composure, bravely sliding her hands up the back of Quinn's thighs and under her dress, whimpering with absolute appreciation when both of her hands grabbed Quinn's ass, her finger sliding under the back of the thong, giving it a delightful tug.

"Santana." Quinn nearly lost it, her forearms quickly resting on either side of Santana's head, the alcohol coursing through her, the building throb between her legs having her slide up just far enough so she could allow Santana to indulge in the cleavage area of her dress, her arm wrapping around the back of Santana's head holding her face in place, "Can you breath?" She asked her voice hoarse, and her hips taking on a mind of their own.

"I could live here." Came Santana's muffled response her nails digging into Quinn's backside, guiding her movements, while she nuzzled her nose further into the crack of Quinn's breasts.

Quinn only nodded her eyes fluttering shut, sweat beginning to form on her skin, her body trembling and shaking, an annoying buzz filling her mind. Her eyes snapped opened, _"An annoying buzz"_ she was so close and extremely determined to finish, but soon a shout from the other room could be heard.

"Santana are you going to get that!?" Rachel called out.

Quinn froze, swallowing hard as everything caught up to her, the buzz signifying that there was someone waiting to be let into the apartment, probably Tina, Kurt and Blaine she figured.

"Fuck."

"Just finish." Santana said, her voice almost on the verge of begging, Quinn was pretty much riding her stomach, there was no way she wanted it to end this abruptly or at all.

As much as Quinn desperately wanted too, she knew if Rachel walked out and found them in this position, she would never hear the end of it. It was only the start to their night anyway and if this was how it began, so could only imagine how it would end, and she'd make sure it was with no clothes. Quinn's ears perked up when she heard footsteps marching their way closer, causing her to climb off and stand up, fixing herself as fast as she could.

"What are you two doing?" Rachel asked with annoyance, appearing in only a towel, making her way over to the intercom, pressing the button so she could let her friends up. "Santana, the shower is all yours."

"I need to go freshen up." Quinn breathed, quickly brushing passed Rachel and out of the apartment, thanking god she lived so close.

Santana quickly walked by a confused Rachel not long after, heading into the bathroom and shutting the door, her smile practically reaching her ears as she looked down, her stomach shimmering with wetness.

"Wanky."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"We're just waiting for Quinn?" Blaine asked.

Kurt took a long drink, handing his cup to Santana for her to make him another drink, "She lives across the hall you think she'd be the first to arrive."

"She was here earlier." Santana answered, delighted that Kurt was allowing her to make his second drink, pouring a little extra vodka in the cup and very little of the mixed non-alcoholic part. "She came...well _almost_ ..." She laughed to herself, "We had a few drinks and then she went to finish getting ready."

"I'm ready to dance." Tina said while pointing a finger in Rachel's direction, "Not sing. Tonight is not a singing night."

Rachel shrugged, taking a small sip from her cup, "Even if I wanted too."

"I am ready to get my drink and dance on too!" Santana said handing Kurt his cup back, while clinking her own with Tina's.

Finally Quinn walked into the apartment, letting out a breath and shouldering her purse, smiling at her five friends, "Okay! I'm ready!'

"Finally, mujer. What took so long?" Santana winked, chugging the rest of her drink and then drunkenly smacked Tina's ass, "Let's go!"

"Santana!" Tina blushed both hands covering her butt.

Kurt smirked with a tilt of his head, turning to look at Rachel, "We're going to be dealing with touchy feely San tonight."

"Splendid." Rachel mumbled.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Where's Santana?" Quinn questioned, coming back from the bar with a drink in her hand taking a seat next to Rachel, spotting Blaine, Tina and Kurt on the dance floor, but Santana was nowhere to be found.

Rachel stirred her drink with the straw, shrugging her shoulders slightly, "I thought she was getting a drink with you." she replied watching as Quinn shook her head, her eyes searching through the mass of sweaty drunk people, "May I ask what you guys were doing while I was in the shower?"

Quinn's cheeks lightly flushed, bringing her drink up to her lips to hide her hot cheeks, "Nothing." She mumbled into her cup, wishing she could find Santana so they could continue to do _nothing_ on the dance floor and then even more back at her apartment.

Rachel gave her a look of uncertainty, letting out a breath of defeat, quietly letting out an, "Don't hurt her."

"I witnessed what she went through too, Rachel. My intentions are far from hurting her."

Rachel could only nod as she stood up, reaching out to take Quinn's hand, "Let's go dance with the others." She offered, deciding that she wasn't going to worry about anything right now. they were out to have a good time with their friends, so that's what she was going to do.

Quinn smiled, taking Rachel's hand and allowing her to guide her to the dance floor, the two joining Tina, Blaine and Kurt, while she still was on the lookout for Santana.

"Hey, isn't that Dani? Kurt smiled, waving to the brunette and calling her over, "I haven't seen her in ages."

Rachel joyfully smiled, the first to greet her with a hug and then Kurt doing the same.

"Santana is here somewhere." Kurt informed her, and the sly smile on Dani's face indicated that she already knew.

Dani nodded, "I saw her a few minutes ago. We did a lot of catching up."

Quinn's eyebrows creased with confusion. She remembered hearing about Dani and suddenly she felt a huge repulsion towards her.

"She uh... is really living life after getting that divorce." Dani smirked with a lick of her lips and it caused Quinn to stop dancing and an unwanted shiver to run up her spine.

"What?" Quinn blurted, her hand flying out to land on Dani's shoulder, causing Rachel's eyes to go wide.

Kurt, clueless to everything giggled with amusement, "You guys caught up, but didn't do much talking did you?"

Dani eyed Quinn, the two in a silent stare down, "Exactly." She said, before pushing Quinn's hand off her shoulder and leaning in, already sensing what Quinn was all about. She leaned in close, her lips close to Quinn's ear so she would be heard over the loud pounding music, "Before you lay a hand on me, you might want to realize that I'm not the only girl she's having fun with." she pulled back, nodding her head in a particular direction.

Quinn swallowed hard, slowly following Dani's line of vision, her heart sinking right into her stomach at the sight of Santana drunkenly and heavily making out with another girl.

Dani genuinely patted Quinn's shoulder, knowing that look all too well and then disappeared into the crowds of people.

"Quinn? What's wrong?" Blaine asked still moving to the rhythm of the music, noticing Quinn's sudden shift in mood and he could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

Quinn shook her head, reaching out and grabbing a drink when a waitress walked by, ignoring her protests and downing the liquid in record time.

"Look who finally decided to join us." Tina smiled when Santana weaved her way through some people and finally joined the group of five.

Quinn's head snapped up, her eyes ablaze with fury. She didn't know if she was mad at herself for not listening to Rachel or if she was mad at Santana for, in her mind seemingly leading her on. She felt Santana's hand on her lower back and it only fueled her anger, if Santana thought she could share such a wonderful moment with her and then go and get with other women in the same night, she was wrong.

Quinn swiftly shoved Santana away and in one quick movement she brought her hand up and smacked Santana across the face, her perfectly French manicured nails leaving a shallow cut on her cheekbone and bottom lip.

"What the fuck, Quinn!?" Santana yelled, her hand coming up to cover her assaulted face, stunned and shocked. If it was anyone other than Quinn (and if they were back in high school) she would have definitely retaliated, but she sat back and stared at the blonde blankly.

"Whoa, I thought they were best friends now?" Tina muttered her eyes wide.

"Quinn!" Rachel quickly stood in front of Santana, shooting Quinn with a look of disapproval, while Blaine went behind Santana in case he had to hold her back.

"You're such a fucking tease, San!" Quinn shouted, stepping forward and towering over Rachel, reaching out to shove at Santana's shoulders again.

"I didn't do anything!" Santana yelled throwing her hands up in defence.

Rachel let out a small growl, wrapping her arms around Quinn's waist and doing the best she could to push her away. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. "Let's go." she demanded, surprised it was so easy for her to guide Quinn away, but when she looked over she found that Kurt was helping, while Tina and Blaine stayed back with Santana.

It was a quiet ride back to the apartment, Quinn sniffled the entire time, not ready to talk yet, Rachel doing her best to console her, while Kurt finally put the pieces together, not staying anything until they entered Rachel's apartment and Quinn threw her purse across the room in anger.

"Oh, honey, it's not Rachel, it's you." Kurt said, wincing when the purse smashed against the wall, but he bravely stepped forward and placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder, laughing despite the irritation and sadness radiating off of her, "I thought Rachel had a crush on Santana, but it's you."

Quinn turned to glare at him, shoving his hand off her shoulder and then began pacing around the apartment, knocking things off shelves and even going as far as pushing a kitchen table chair over.

"How about we sit down instead of wrecking my apartment?" Rachel pleaded, attentively guiding the blonde over to the couch, where she thankfully sat down.

Quinn put her head in her hands, tears splashing onto her dress, "I'm so stupid." She whispered.

Before Rachel and Kurt could begin to try and make her feel better, the door slowly opened and Santana poked her head in and then entered, Blaine and Tina close behind.

"Quinn?" Santana softly called out approaching the living room, taking a step back when Quinn hastily stood up and walked over to her.

"I'm surprised you came home alone, Santana." Quinn blurted, the sight of her causing a second round of rage to engulf her, "So did you just think you could fool around with me tonight and act like it didn't even happen?"

"We were drunk." Santana tried to explain, an annoyance of her own starting to pour in.

"So what?!"

"The only time you ever want to do anything is when you're drunk!" Santana reminded her, confused as to why things were suddenly turning into a fight. "I didn't think it meant anything! Just like Mr. Schue's wedding night!"

"So I'm just another one of your stupid whores who you fuck and leave so you can get over a stupid ex who you shouldn't have even married in the first place!" she shouted, pushing her again, the alcohol and her embarrassment talking full control over her emotions.

"That's not fair." Santana quietly said.

"Whatever, Santana." Quinn sadly said, brushing passed her and heading for the door.

"I was going to stop it." Santana said watching as Quinn stood still at the door, her back still to her, "What we did earlier, if it wasn't for the alcohol. I knew it was wrong because you're not just some whore to me, Quinn. You're my best friend and I wish we were best friends like this back in high school and I really hope I didn't fuck that up."

Quinn waited a beat, not sure how to respond. What she did know was her anger was starting to turn into sadness and she didn't want to be around anyone right now, "I'm going to go."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Santana paced back and forth in front of the couch, running her fingers through her hair, while Rachel watched on in worry, starting to wonder if she was going to burn a hole through the hardwood. She watched her for a little while longer, until she finally had enough.

"Santana!"

Santana stopped dead in her tracks, tears in her eyes, "I did that to her!" She panicked with a shake of her head, pointing at the door and in the direction of Quinn's apartment. "Did you see the look on her face, Rachel?!"

Rachel sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. She couldn't exactly disagree, because _everyone_ saw the hurt look on Quinn's face, what was the point in denying it.

"I didn't know." Santana quietly said, "I thought we were just having fun. I never would have thought in a million years Quinn Fabray would be seriously into me. It's Quinn! I thought I was just an experiment for her. Ya know? Someone she could have a good time with."

"Stranger things have happened." Rachel answered. It was a bit cliché, but here she was best friends with two people who used to be her high school enemies.

"Should I go talk to her?"

Rachel shook her head, letting out a sigh, "You're probably the last person she wants to see right now, Santana."

"You go talk to her then!" Santana demanded, watching as Rachel's face turned into one of uncertainty, and when she didn't reply right away, Santana shouted again, "Rachel!"

"Alright!" Rachel finally said, smoothing her dress out as she stood up, "Fine." She headed for the door, tucking her hair behind her ears as she turned to look back at Santana, "Wish me luck."

Santana nodded, watching as Rachel left the apartment, falling back to the couch, cradling her head in her hands, thinking back on the past several months she spent with Quinn, wondering if somewhere during that time she had lead her on. She hated herself for hurting Quinn. She had watched her go through so much and Quinn helped her _through_ so much, she deserved nothing but the best, and without evening knowing it Santana had fucked it all up. She picked at the scab forming on her cheek, wishing she could somehow slap herself. She just hoped Rachel could talk to her, because she enjoyed her time spent with Quinn now that they were out of high school and matured and she just hoped things weren't so bad it ruined their new found best friendship.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Rachel's hand hovered over Quinn's apartment door. It had been the longest night of her life. Kurt, Blaine and Tina were long gone, she had somehow managed to keep Santana calm and now she was about to with any luck console Quinn.

Just as she was about to knock, Quinn yanked the door open, her eyes red and puffy, her hand quickly coming up to wipe under her eyes, "I can hear you worrying from the other side."

"I uh-" Rachel stammered, caught off guard by the sudden surprise, "May I come in?"

Quinn didn't say anything for a few seconds, but then she slightly nodded and moved aside, "I could use a friend." She simply said, waving Rachel inside and then shutting the door, "So did Santana go back out?"

Rachel spun around on her heels, surprised by the sudden accusation, "No. She's actually the one who sent me over here, to check on you."

"Oh." Quinn whispered, her arms coming up to wrap around herself.

"Quinn, come sit down." Rachel suggested, already on her way over to the couch, happy to see that Quinn was following and sat on the opposite end. "I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but she is actually worried about you. I know it seems like she intentionally hurt you, but it wasn't like that. She didn't know you had feelings."

Quinn looked away, her arms still crossed, thinking things through as Rachel curiously watched her, unsure with how to respond just yet.

"Quinn, do you think-" Rachel paused to shift a little closer, reaching out to place a supportive hand on her upper arm, "Do you think you were feeling lonely and with having Santana around more than usually it gave you the impression that you had feelings for her?"

"No." Quinn flat out answered, her voice even and emotionless, "I know when my feelings are true, Rachel." She quickly reached up to swipe at a tear, "And right now I hate that they're for Santana. She just got a fucking divorce what am I even doing?"

"I suppose you can't help who you fall for." Rachel quietly nodded the two falling into a weird silence, Rachel chewing her bottom lip, wondering if she should ask the next thought on her mind, and it didn't take her long to keep the question locked up and she went ahead so she could kill her curiosity, "So, do you only like women or?"

Quinn finally smiled, leaning her head back against the couch, looking at Rachel through the corner of her eye, "You really want to know the answer?"

"Absolutely." Rachel eagerly answered, somehow shifting closer to the blonde.

"Remember the whole love triangle we were in with Finn?" Quinn began as she looked up at the ceiling, her smile faltering a little when she mentioned his name, hearing a sharp breath escape Rachel's lips, but she could see her nod and waited for Quinn to carry on, "I wasn't jealous of _you_ for being with him. I was jealous of him."

Rachel's eyes went wide as realization set in, "For being with – for being with me?"

Quinn only nodded and then quickly turned to look at her, "I'm over that by the way! It was a high school thing, nothing more! I was going through a lot back then and yeah." She shook her head, letting out a deep breath, finally admitting, "And Santana _was_ experimental when we first hooked up and let's just say that night confirmed _a lot_."

"So what now?" Rachel softly asked.

"Do what I do best." Quinn answered, "Cry it out, pour myself into my work and eventually get over it."

Rachel shook her head, finally wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Not alone this time, okay? You're in New York now surrounded by friends. And when you're ready, Santana will be there too."

Quinn leaned into her, hiding her face in Rachel's neck, "When do the cats start showing up?" She teased.

Rachel lightly laughed, happy that at least Quinn was trying to make jokes. "They haven't showed up for me yet. I think we still have a few years."

Quinn slightly pulled back when she realized the last serious relationship Rachel was in was with Finn, she went quiet, searching her eyes, "You still miss him, huh?"

Tears stung Rachel's eyes, nodding and pulling Quinn back into a hug, "Everyday." She whispered, "But my Broadway dreams have come true and I have the greatest friends. It's all I need right now." she sniffled and pulled back, awkwardly smiling, "But we're talking about you right now."

"How about some wine first?" Quinn suggested, delighted to see Rachel enthusiastically nod in agreement.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

A few weeks later, Santana sat in the hallway in front of Quinn's apartment, waiting for her to arrive home. Quinn was avoiding her and she wasn't about to let it go on any longer. Her head lolled back against the wall, her eyes slipping shut, it on the verge of hitting eight when she heard the elevator ding from down the hall. She lifted her head and squinted in that direction, perking up a little when she heard a familiar click of heels against the floor, but they soon came to a sudden stop when Quinn and Santana made eye contact.

"Q, come on." Santana pleaded, quickly standing up. "Let's finally talk. I don't want you to hate me."

Quinn rolled her eyes, but proceeded to walk towards her, "I don't hate you." She quietly said as she unlocked her door and entered, leaving it open for Santana.

"I didn't know it went further than experimental –"

"I know." Quinn said holding her hand up to stop her, "I know. Look, San. It's fine. It's not like we were in a relationship."

"Will you stop avoiding me then and answer my texts? I miss you."

Quinn cleared her throat, pursing her lips, but she finally nodded, "Yeah." She headed over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water, leaning against the counter as she took a sip, eyeing her friend with uncertainty, debating on whether she wanted to open up to her right now.

"What?" Santana asked.

"I have a blind date tomorrow night." Quinn finally answered, "I wasn't going to say yes, but Tina set me up. She's actually very insightful when you talk to her one on one."

"A date?" Santana nodded, "Wow you move on quick." She teased, holding her hands up in defence when Quinn glared.

"She's a veterinarian." Quinn said with a shrug, "What do I have to lose, right?"

"Yeah." Santana weakly smiled, the atmosphere in the room an awkward one, "You deserve to be happy, Quinn."

Quinn nodded with a small smirk, "I do."

Santana stood there, not sure what else to say. She supposed she was just happy Quinn finally spoke to her. So after playing nervously with her fingers for a few seconds she headed towards the door, "I guess I'll leave you alone."

Quinn nodded, walking over to the door, feeling the discomfort between them, "Just give me some time, okay?"

Santana headed into the hallway, turning to face her, "But you don't hate me? You can slap me again if it'll make you feel better?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, but she was softly smiling, "I don't hate you, San." She let out a breath as she added, "I wish I could slap myself."

"I can slap you." Santana teased with a playful smile, holding her hand up and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Goodnight, Santana." Quinn smirked, waving and retreating inside, the banter and that smile not helping her situation at all. She just hoped that Tina's idea to start dating someone would help get her mind off of Santana and maybe finally meet someone so she could finally get a happily ever after...if they even existed.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

A month later Rachel, Santana and Tina were out grabbing something to eat, the three enjoying meaningless conversation, until finally Santana had to ask.

"Anyone hear from Quinn lately? She lives across the hall, but I never hear from her." Santana wondered as she checked her phone, seeing if Quinn had replied to a text she sent earlier in the morning, "She never answers me anymore." She quietly mumbled.

"I invited her out with us, but she's with Ava." Rachel answered, watching as Santana abruptly sat up. "Something the matter?"

"No." Santana said as she grabbed her drink finishing it in one huge gulp, before slamming it on the table, causing Tina to wince, "Yes, actually. I also invited her out and you know what she said? Nothing! She didn't even take the time to reply!"

"I know she's been busy with work too..." Tina tried to offer, ducking this time when Santana's fiery gaze was directed at her.

"Ever since you set her up on that date she's been ignoring me." Santana pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and falling back against her chair, turning her head when she caught sight of the waiter, "Another drink over here please!" She demanded snapping her fingers, causing Rachel's face to heat up with embarrassment.

"Santana, please, don't take your frustrations out on the wait staff." Rachel pleaded, making a mental note to leave a healthy tip at the end of their meal. "And if it's worth anything, she's been very unpredictable when keeping in touch with me too. I think it mostly has to do with work, but I also have to wonder if she's enjoying her new acquaintance."

"From what I hear, they're more than just acquaintances." Tina smirked. "Ava is really nice. I think she's good for Quinn."

"Listen." Santana began as she reached out and grabbed the alcoholic beverage from the waiter before he even had a chance to set it down, "I'm happy for Quinn, really, but if she's going to ignore us because she has a new friend...well I call bullshit. And I'm abouts to go all Snixx on her ass!"

"Santana, she'll come around." Rachel assured her, reaching out to place a comforting hand over hers, not having the heart to tell her that Quinn still spoke to her daily.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"I don't know." Santana shrugged as she walked around the empty small apartment. "The floor plan is weird. I'd rather just sleep on Rachel's couch and pay her rent than live here."

Blaine only nodded as he took in Santana's consideration, trying his best to muster up any of the last little bit of patients he had left. "Santana, apartments come few and far between in New York and you keep criticizing every single one. You're never going to find the perfect apartment so pick one."

"I'm criticizing them because it's fucking stupid how much you have to pay for such a small space!" She complained, but her annoyances soon turned into a smile, "I think I just found my next article!"

"So this one is a no?" Blaine sighed, leaning against the wall. He had been apartment hunting with Santana for the past several weeks. He was done and at this point he didn't care if she lived on Rachel's couch for the rest of her life if he never had to look at another apartment again. He pulled his phone out when it vibrated, his eyes going a little wide, "We have to go, we're meeting everyone in an hour. Then we can tell them the great news about how you still _haven't_ found a new apartment yet." He sarcastically mumbled as he pushed off the wall to head for the door.

"Oh please, Rachel will secretly be overjoyed." Santana stated as she followed him, "Who would kill the spiders for her? No one. She'd be huddled in a corner with spider eggs hatching all around her."

Blaine shivered at the thought, deciding it'd be best to change the subject, "I can't believe we're meeting Quinn's girlfriend tonight."

"I think girlfriend is too strong of a word." Santana countered as they stood in the elevator, her finger slamming into the button.

"Either way, she seems happier." Blaine said with a shrug of his shoulders and all Santana could do was nod.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Santana." Rachel called out before they entered the restaurant, tugging the taller girl to a halt. "Be nice tonight, okay?"

"I'm always nice."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, giving her a knowing look, "uh huh."

Santana grunted with an eye roll. Rachel knew her all too well and she hated it, "I'll be nice."

It wasn't long before introductions were made and everyone was sitting at the restaurant table, Quinn's _new friend_ as Santana would call her actually turning out to be extremely nice, which was no surprise, since she was a friend of Tina's. Santana stared at her and watched Quinn, a mixed feeling washing over her as Quinn interacted with this tall, dark skinned, dark haired beauty. Quinn had a type it seemed, lipstick. Ava was smartly dressed, her hair perfectly wavy and her eyes zeroed in on her freshly waxed eyebrows, which then landed on her dark brown eyes, wide and friendly. For some reason Santana wanted to hate her, but when her stare fell on Quinn who wore nothing but a genuine smile it caused Santana to back down.

Santana chewed her bottom lip and when there was a gap in the conversation she finally mustered up something to say, sort of as a welcome to the group kind of gesture, "So, like, if you're a veterinarian do you have surgery pictures we can see?"

Everyone went quiet, all turning to face Santana, Rachel about to do a face palm, while Kurt and Blaine waited anxiously for Ava's reaction, which after about a few seconds happily pulled her phone out.

"Yes, a few." Ava answered, "With permission from the owners of course."

Quinn smiled, leaning over Ava's shoulder to look at her phone, before briefly looking up at Santana who eagerly waited to see said pictures.

"Thank goodness we have finished eating." Rachel mumbled as she sat back.

When the end of the night came, Santana quickly pulled Quinn aside, giving her a look that pleaded for her to have a minute alone. Quinn sent Ava ahead and stayed back with Santana.

"She's nice, right?" Quinn asked.

Santana nodded and pursed her lips, searching Quinn's eyes.

"What is it, Santana?"

"Are you happy, Q?"

"Santana..." Quinn sighed, reaching out to rest her hand on her shoulder, "That's not something you should have to worry about."

"You're my best friend. Yes it is." Santana answered her voice cracking. "You spent all your time taking care of me after Britt, why can't I be worried about you?"

Quinn's eyes fluttered over Santana's shoulder landing on Ava who was currently talking to the others and after a few seconds her attention returned to Santana, "Well, it's super early to tell, but so far so good."

"Good." Santana whispered reaching out to pull her into a hug, "But stop shutting me out, okay?"

Quinn wrapped her arms around her, "I'm sorry. I just – "she pulled away, "I'm sorry, San. I won't shut you out."

"Okay, well go. We live across the hall I'll see you at home." Santana lightly laughed, trying to shake whatever emotions she was suddenly feeling.

"Okay." Quinn smiled, giving her hand a squeeze and then pulling away, heading off in the direction of her new girlfriend.

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter wasn't exactly the greatest. It was mostly just a filler I suppose to push the story along. I'm not going to drag it out much longer as it's starting to give me writers block lol. I still hope you guys all enjoyed it even though it was super short. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was a Saturday night and Quinn was currently standing in front of Rachel's apartment door, frantically knocking on it, praying to anyone holy that someone was home. Her fist kept pounding until finally it opened and an adorably sleepy looking Santana appeared, catching Quinn off guard, causing her to freeze with admiration at the sight. Santana in yoga pants and a tank top, she could practically feel the drool forming in her mouth by just the thought of her ass in those pants.

Santana's eyes went wide, waiting and expecting an explanation, growing impatient when the blonde just stood there, "Something the matter, Quinn, or do you always like to rudely wake people up for no reason?"

"You were sleeping?" Quinn stammered, her posture finally falling into a relaxed one.

Santana shrugged with a small nod, "I'm going out tonight. I needs my rest if I'm goin' be at my best."

Quinn chewed her bottom lip, standing up on her tip toes to peer over her shoulder and into the apartment, "Rachel gone?"

"She has a show tonight." Santana said, studying the other girl's face, "What's wrong?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling foolish, but it didn't stop her from explaining her situation, "Ava and I are hanging out tonight. She didn't feel like going to a restaurant, so stupid me offered to cook and-"

"Say no more." Santana smirked, holding her hand up and taking a step out into the hall, "What'd you burn?"

Quinn's eyes narrowed in on her, moving aside, "How'd you? Wait, what? I didn't burn anything. I just haven't cooked in a long time."

"Come on, Julia Child. I'll help you." Santana smirked, taking the lead and heading across the hall and into Quinn's apartment, heading straight for the kitchen to survey the damage, lightly laughing at the sight. "Are you trying to make stir fry?"

Quinn came to look at the stove, shrugging with a small nod, "Yeah, so?" she looked from the sizzling pan then back to Santana, the uncooked rice popping and suddenly catching fire. "Santana!" She flinched, feeling an arm circle around her shoulders and spin them around, instinctively hiding her face in Santana's shoulder, while Santana bravely shielded them from the small flame. When they came to a stop Quinn slowly pulled her face away, not at all surprised to see a bright look of amusement radiating from Santana's face.

"Q..." Santana began, her voice low with a hint of laughter, "You're supposed to cook the rice first."

Quinn knew that, but her mouth still hung open with bewilderment, feeling stupid for forgetting such an important step. Her eyes darted over Santana's shoulder, thankful to see the flame had died out quickly after it began. She finally pulled out of Santana's protective embrace, rolling her eyes, "Can you please help me? I want to impress her."

"What do I get out of it?" Santana asked a devious sparkle twinkling in her eyes.

Quinn could think of a few things she would reward Santana with, but that was another story and if she couldn't be with Santana, she wasn't interested in playing along with her flirty games, "Respect?" She answered while keeping her face serious, watching with a little be of regret as Santana's face slightly fell.

"Okay." Santana finally answered, her mischievousness deflating due to Quinn's reaction, missing their old flirty banter, but she supposed she was the one to blame for that, quickly waving it off when she remembered the stove was still on and seemed to be flammable. "How much time do I have?"

Quinn looked at the clock, eagerly watching as Santana began to clean up her mess, "An hour and thirty minutes at the most."

Santana nodded and began rummaging through Quinn's cupboards, "Ya got nothin', Quinn." She said with a shake of her head, opening the freezer, her eyes lighting up when she reached in and pulled out a frozen package of ground beef.

"She's vegetarian."

"Of course she is." Santana muttered tossing it back in, "Okay, I'll be back. We can thank Rachel for being vegan later."

"Where are you going?" Quinn asked, watching as she headed towards the door to leave.

"Rachel keeps frozen spaghetti sauce in the freezer. Everyone likes Italian food, right?" Santana smirked, "You think you can try and boil some water while I'm gone?"

"I can boil water." Quinn snipped, finally relaxing as she searched for a pot big enough while Santana went to grab whatever she needed.

An unknown smile danced on Santana's lips as she came back to Quinn's apartment. Quinn was effortlessly great at everything she did. Always so confident and sure of herself, but the fact that she couldn't quite handle cooking was adorable in Santana's opinion.

"What are you grinning about?" Quinn asked as she carefully watched her, leaning back against the counter next to the stove, keeping a watchful eye on the water in the pot.

Santana set her stuff down and shook her head, "Nothing." She smirked coming over to look inside the pot, "Very good, Quinnie." She said with a childish tone to her voice, patting her shoulder playfully.

Quinn pushed Santana's hand away, pushing off the counter to take a seat at the kitchen table, "I'm just going to let you do your thing."

"Tell me more about this girl while I slave away in the kitchen for you. I only met her once, I need more."

Quinn sighed as she sat down, grabbing some of her hair to start looking through some split ends, "She's smart, great at her job, she volunteers a lot, she reads, doesn't really like going out that much, like I mentioned dinner is here and I'm kind of hoping she likes what I make...well what _you_ make, because I want tonight to be the night we finally-"

"What!?" Santana shirked cutting her off, spinning around to face Quinn with a sly smile, "It's been two months and you two haven't –"

"Shut up, Santana. I've been working late and sometimes she's usually on call because she works at a 24hour emergency vet clinic. We haven't exactly had the time."

"Okay, okay not judging – I mean she sounds super dull." Santana mumbled, but the smile never left her face, the fact that Quinn hadn't even had sex with this chick yet making her unusually giddy. "I mean you're good at getting what you want, so it shouldn't be a problem."

 _I don't have you._ Quinn thought, but it only lasted for a quick second since her phone vibrated and Ava's name popped up, thankfully reminding her that she did have a girlfriend now and her momentary lapse into her Santana crush vanished. She opened the text, sending a reply, before turning her attention back to Santana, "You'll be good on time. She's just leaving work now and still has to get ready."

"What other kind of dates have you been on?" Santana asked as she poured the hard spaghetti noodles into the boiling water.

"We went and saw Rachel's show last weekend-" Quinn began, this time Santana's phone buzzing with a call, "It's your mom." She gratefully sighed, not in the mood to tell Santana about her dates, so she reached out and helped herself to the call, "Hi, Mrs. Lopez." She answered with a smile, drumming her fingers on the kitchen table as she spoke, "You'd be proud, she's busy cooking."

"Tell her why, Quinn." Santana smirked, turning to look over her shoulder as Quinn made herself comfortable and delved into conversation with her mom.

"Santana's helping me with a date." Quinn explained, "It's nothing serious yet, but here's hoping, right?"

Santana turned back around to the task at hand, listening to Quinn's conversation, finding herself overly impressed when Quinn would try and speak a little bit of Spanish. It thrilled her that Quinn would take the time to listen and learn just so she could speak to her parents in their language. They had a healthy conversation for a while, until the point where Santana was draining the noodles, hearing Quinn say her goodbyes and then feeling a presence next to her.

"She hung up?" Santana asked, looking to Quinn and then back to the steaming noodles.

"She'll call you later." She assured as she moved to stir the sauce simmering in the pot, "Smells good."

"You're best friends with my mom now?" Santana teased.

"She cares." Quinn quietly said, losing herself in thought, not able to remember the last time she had spoken to her own parents. "It's nice."

Santana simply nodded, glancing over at Quinn, deciding to change the subject, "You can go finish getting ready. I'll leave everything in the stove for you so it doesn't get cold."

"Okay." Quinn answered, forcing herself out of her daze, sending her an appreciative smile, "Thanks again, San."

"Just don't let it become a habit." Santana joked with a wink. "I'll let you take credit this time, but if it happens again-"

"You're gonna wants to get it on?" Quinn teased as she headed for her bedroom.

"Damn straight." Santana answered.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

After preparing the meal for Quinn, Santana sauntered back over to her apartment, deciding to finish the nap she was awoken from since it was still kind of early for her to be going out. She flopped on the couch, shutting her eyes and allowing her mind to take her off to dreamland.

" _Smells good in here." Quinn whispered as she walked up behind Santana, a few inches taller than her due to the heels she had worn to work that day, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder._

 _Santana smiled and leaned back into Quinn, "Just call me Suzy Homemaker."_

 _Quinn smirked, pressing a few feather like kisses to Santana's neck, just enough to send a pleasant shiver through her body._

" _You're distracting me." Santana lightly moaned, titling her head to the side as Quinn's kisses began to linger in all the right places._

" _I don't see you protesting." Quinn whispered, reaching up so she could gently turn Santana's head, finally able to connect their lips._

 _Santana melted against her, abandoning the food and turning around, "We can order out." She decided, wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck and pulling her close._

"Fuck!" Santana jolted awake, sitting upright, her eyes wide and panicky. "No no, it's was just a dream." She began telling herself as she stood up, grabbing her phone and heading for the kitchen to find some liquor, all while she searched through her contacts for a certain number. "It was just a dream." She kept telling herself as she poured herself a shot of whisky, wincing as she downed it. When she found the number she wanted, she clicked on it with shaky hands, bringing the phone up to her ear, relieved when the person picked up, "Dani? Hey, you want to meet up tonight?"

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn sat across from Ava at the dinner table as they ate. Ava talking passionately about some animal rights thing, while Quinn tried to pay attention. A part of her felt bad. When Tina had first set her up she was definitely into it, things were new and exciting and they should have still been that way since it was only two months, but Quinn was bored. Ava was boring. She was cute and smart, but too smart to the point where Quinn would make a joke and then Ava would barely laugh and then explain the joke to her. She swirled her spaghetti around her fork, the food Santana made, her mind drifting to her friend wishing they could hang out instead, but then wondering if that was even a good idea because feelings were stupid and confusing and Ava was supposed to help Quinn stop thinking about Santana, but it was doing the exact opposite.

"Quinn?" Ava questioned, finally pulling the blonde from her thoughts, "You're really quiet tonight."

"Huh?" Quinn looked up from her plate, letting out a breath as she shoved the plate away, "I'm just tired, sorry."

"Did you want to watch a movie?" Ava offered as she stood up and collected their plates, Quinn making a mental note that that was one pro she had. She always cleaned up after herself.

Quinn cleared her throat and stood as well. She was on a mission tonight of wanting to go all the way and _really_ forget about Santana, and then maybe, just maybe once her and Ava had finally gone all the way, she'd see her in a new positive light.

"Netflix and chill." Quinn mumbled with a smile. High school Quinn had no problem getting action, with a classic movie night, adult Quinn could definitely achieve the same.

Ava actually lightly laughed, Quinn pleased to see that it was genuine, "You did not just say Netflix and chill?"

"So what if I did?" Quinn smirked loosening up a bit, coming over to help her place some things in the sink.

"I'd say I'm intrigued with how this night will turn out." Ava answered as she brushed by Quinn and headed for the couch, Quinn taking that as a sign that hopefully Ava too finally wanted to go all the way.

A while later, Quinn was pressing light kisses along Ava's neck, her hand resting on her knee, and her lips on a journey to Ava's.

"This part is so good." Ava whispered, turning her head to face Quinn who was anticipating a lip lock, but all she was greeted with was a small smile, "Do you like it so far?"

Quinn let out a breath, rolling her eyes, "Are you not into me?" she abruptly asked, frustrated, she had been practically throwing herself at the other girl all evening, it took two to tango, but it was clearly all one sided. She almost regretted her words when Ava's face fell, "I'm sorry." She sighed with a small laugh, "I just thought – Netflix and chill. Cliché, but also the universal code for having fun."

Ava's eyebrows creased with amusement, leaning in to peck a kiss to Quinn's lips, "I was going to make my move during the credits."

"Oh." Quinn said with a nod, "Oh, so you're like really into the movie?"

"Kind of." Ava sheepishly nodded, awkwardly wrapping an arm around Quinn's shoulders, trying to make up for it by cuddling.

"Okay." Quinn whispered, leaning her head on her shoulder, not even sure what they were really watching so she closed her eyes and drifted off.

Quinn wasn't sure what time it was when she was gently nudged awake. She stretched and yawned, rubbing the back of her neck and peering at Ava.

"I fell asleep. I'm so sorry."Quinn apologized and Ava kindly smiled.

"You said you were tired. We can try Netflix and chill another night?"

Quinn sighed, trying to suppress another yawn, quickly covering her mouth, and rolling her eyes, "Yes, another night." She offered, thinking to herself how there probably wasn't going to be another night. She stood up and the two walked to the door, unaware of a drunken Santana and Dani on the other side.

"Santana, you're extremely drunk." Dani giggled, her hand resting on Santana's chest, gently guiding her back against the door.

Santana lazily smiled with a shrug, reaching out to tug Dani close, "So are you. You should probably stay the night."

"Oh really?" Dani smirked, allowing Santana to pull her close, her hands resting on her shoulders, their lips inches apart, "I don't want to wake your mom."

Santana gasped, "The wit, it hurts."

"You're living on Rachel's couch." Dani mumbled their noses rubbing together.

"We can be quiet." Santana whispered her arms circling around Dani's waist, finally meshing their lips together.

"Mmhm." Dani breathed into the kiss, resting her hand on the side of her neck, feeling herself getting lost in the desire of Santana all over again. Santana was addictive and once their lips reacquainted themselves, Dani wanted even more and it didn't take her long to push their past abrupt breakup behind her and cave in.

Hands were soon wandering, Santana's lips attached to the soft flesh of Dani's neck, while she fumbled behind to find the doorknob, the only thing stopping them was the sound of Quinn's apartment door opening.

"Oh sorry-" Dani began, looking over her shoulder, confused by the sight, "Hey, wait... Quinn, right?"

Quinn stood in the doorway, her face falling at the sight, watching as Santana's head drunkenly lolled back against the door, a goofy smile ever so present.

"Are we being too loud? We were just about to head inside." Dani explained her voice full of apologies.

"No, no." Ava kindly smiled as she appeared next to Quinn with her coat on. "I was just-"

"Staying." Quinn answered, grabbing her collar and pulling her close, crashing their lips together. She had every intention of breaking it off with Ava after their dull time together, but the sight of Santana back with Dani sent a very unpleasant feeling through her entire body and the only way she could think to get rid of it was to make this work with Ava and so tired or not they were going to spend the night together.

A laugh rumbled through Santana's chest, squinting in their direction, hiccupping, the sight of Quinn's lips on someone else's churning her stomach, "Hmm." She shook her head, "Get a room." She finally managed to say.

"Have one." Quinn taunted, pushing Ava back into the apartment and kicking the door shut.

Dani turned back to Santana, "That was weird." She mumbled, her eyes going wide at the look on her face, "Okay, let's get you inside before you throw up all over the hallway."

"Let's get you inside of me." Santana chuckled, falling back into the apartment, tugging Dani towards the couch, but she was unsuccessful and Dani was guiding her to the bathroom and she was soon huddled over the toilet.

"The night didn't end exactly like I had hoped." Dani said, wincing at the sound of Santana puking, "But I'm willing to try it again." She said, smiling when Santana gave her nothing but thumbs up.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"It's a formal fundraiser." Rachel beamed as she handed Kurt, Blaine, Tina, Quinn and Santana each an invitation. "Quinn and Santana you two are more than welcome to bring Ava and Dani as your dates. Especially Ava who made a generous donation in support of the cause."

Santana rolled her eyes as she read the invitation, "Because it's for animals. I get it she loves them, so do I , but I think she has a serious hard on for them in a not so healthy way."

"Shut up, Santana." Quinn elbowed her, looking up at Rachel, "We'll be there."

"I love a good formal evening." Kurt smirked, his eyes glossing over and dazing out into what he could wear. "Rachel, shall we go shopping together?"

"Oh absolutely!" Rachel grinned, "I'm performing that night, so I need to look radiant!"

"I hate dress shopping, so if anyone wants to just pick my dress, please." Tina offered, waving her hand to Kurt who was drooling with desire at the thought.

"I already have something." Santana said.

Rachel opened her mouth, her eyes zeroing in on Santana's breasts and then to her eyes about to lecture her on how this was a formal night, but Santana held up her hand.

"It's appropriate." Santana assured her, "I'm going to call Dani and hope she can join me."

Quinn watched her go, turning her attention to Tina when the shorter girl approached.

"Ava says you've been extra girlfriend-y lately." Tina smiled as she looped her arm around Quinn's, "Things are going good then?"

"I don't know what that means, but as good as they can be." Quinn answered, having decided to actually try since the night she found Dani and Santana in the hallway.

"Good." Tina nodded and Quinn forced a small smile.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The night of the fundraiser Dani sat on the couch, while Rachel and Santana breezed by each other, finishing getting ready. Soon, Kurt, Blaine and Tina entered the apartment, everyone looking elegant and fresh.

"Just waiting on Q and the other ..." Santana said checking her phone and putting it into her clutch, looking up when the apartment door opened and Quinn entered and suddenly Santana's entire world disappeared.

Santana's eyes started on Quinn's perfect expression, her makeup done up just right, her hair lightly tousled and freshly cut. Then slowly her gaze drank in Quinn's entire body, her long dark red halter fitting her perfectly in all the right places, one long pale delicious looking leg and thigh peeking out through a small slit in the dress. Quinn was glowing and she wished she could find the perfect word to describe her, because she was beyond beautiful or gorgeous or stunning, Quinn deserved her very own word something better than all of those put together, but Santana couldn't find it and she suddenly wished she could pull her close and _show_ her just how amazing she looked instead.

"Santana?" Dani smirked, lightly nudging her, not realizing that everyone was looking at her and hugs and greetings had already been exchanged while she was admiring Quinn.

Santana shook her head, her eyes meeting Quinn's for a brief second causing her knees to go weak, Dani watching on with curiosity.

"Quinn," Santana began with a clear of her throat, "You look beautiful." She said, her voice honest and sincere, suddenly feeling nervous and shy.

"Thank you." Quinn quietly replied, "You do you too, Santana."

"Thanks." Santana smiled, deciding that she somehow needed to break the spell she was suddenly under, so in true Santana style she took what was a sweet exchange between her and Quinn and ruined it, "I can give those ladies a ride on my motor boat later, if they want." She winked gesturing to Quinn's cleavage and everyone rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Santana!" Quinn couldn't help but hide her smirk, playfully swatting Santana's arm, while she felt a sudden protective arm circle around her waist and pull her close, Ava who wasn't amused by the comment at all.

"Come on, am I right though?" Santana asked.

Dani shrugged as she slipped her hand into Santana's, "I'm not blind, you're right." She smirked and then tugged her towards the door, "Come on, isn't there a limo waiting for us?"

"And a performance by me!" Rachel cheered, pushing pass everyone to make her way to the elevator first.

Ava and Quinn were the last to leave the apartment, Ava pulling Quinn aside, assuring everyone they would catch up, "I'm not sure I like the comment Santana made about you."

"What? The motor boat thing?" Quinn lightly laughed, "It's just Santana. It's only just the beginning of the night. She'll be making them about everyone I'm sure."

"Even with Dani present?" Ava asked.

Quinn smirked, with a small nod, the concern look on her face not going unnoticed, "I'll talk to her and tell her to tone it down."

"You shouldn't have to talk to her." Ava said, "She's a grown adult woman."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh again as she looped her arm through Ava's and guided her to the elevator, "I'll talk to her."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Hey." Quinn greeted Santana once they were at the fundraiser and everyone was mingling with other people, "Can I talk to you?"

Santana turned and smiled, searching for Dani to make sure she was fine and when she found her with Blaine she nodded, "At the bar?"

Quinn smirked, "Of course. Two things." She began as they headed over to where the drinks were being served, "Rachel just told me you're moving out."

Santana came to a stop, leaning against the bar, turning to the bartender to order two drinks, a nervous smile finding her lips, "Yeah, I just found out yesterday. It's only a few blocks away. Close to Kurt and Blaine. I was going to tell you, but everyone was so busy preparing for this thing."

"No, I think it's great." Quinn smirked, reaching out to grab the drink after it was made, "Congratulations." She held up her drink so they could both clink glasses and then both took a drink.

"What was the other thing? You said two." Santana asked.

"Oh uh." Quinn sighed with a wave of her hand, "We all know and accept your random crude comments, but Ava isn't really used to them, so..."

"So, you want me to keep them to myself?"

"I mean," Quinn couldn't help but offer her a flirty smile, "Just when she's not around." She winked and then pushed off the bar in search of Ava.

Santana smiled, watching Quinn walk away. This was bad she thought with a shake of her head, her feelings mixed in all the wrong places. A tangled web, one she had no idea how to unwind.

"Hey, Rachel is about to perform." Dani said, surprising her from behind, resting a soft hand on her back.

Santana turned and smiled at her, another string added to the mix, causing her to slurp down her drink in record time, before going over to find her seat.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Look at her, Quinn is shivering." Santana muttered into Dani's ear as the night came to an end and everyone started gathering their things to leave, the weather outside breaking in the building and making it known that autumn was on its way.

Dani looked over to where Quinn and Ava were, the blonde's arms wrapped around herself while she spoke to a few people, Ava standing close with a coat on and soon her eyes were back on Santana who was sneering in their direction, causing Dani to smile.

"This is just ridiculous. Quinn never wears a coat." Santana complained with a shake of her head. "You think she'd know better because she's always cold. Even in the summer." She informed Dani, waving her hand in Quinn's direction. "Ava should give her, her jacket. It's common sense."

"Santana-" Dani lightly laughed, "Calm down."

"It's going to be even colder outside with the wind." Santana stated, "Come on." She said as she pulled her coat off and walked over to Quinn, not saying a word as she walked up behind her and placed her coat over Quinn's slim shoulders, watching her visibly relax.

"Ava-" Quinn paused, her eyebrows creasing with confusion when she looked to her left and found Ava still in conversation with a random guy she knew and instead was surprised to see that Santana was the one chivalrous enough to offer her some warmth.

"You never wear a coat, Q. I know you need it more than me." Santana said, "Meet you at the limo with the others."

Quinn's mouth fell open, caught off guard, but soon she offered her a smile of gratitude, grabbing the lapels and pulling the coat around her, "Thank you."

Santana waved and then she and Dani exited the building, the two the first ones by the curb next to the limo.

"Santana." Dani slowly began, reaching out to take her hand, "I need to ask you something and you need to be honest with me."

Santana squeezed her hand, not saying anything as she nodded and waited for the question.

"Are you into Quinn?" She asked, tugging at her hand, "I won't be mad if you are. We haven't exactly established ourselves as anything, plus right now given our history I kind of like only being friends with benefits."

"No." Santana quickly snorted with a smirk, "Oh my god is this the coat thing? Quinn was cold."

"Not just the coat thing." Dani said while she watched Santana's face contort into one of denial, finding it to be completely amusing.

"Psh, no. She's with Ava, who clearly needs to learn how to be a better girlfriend. I'm just looking out for her. We're friends and that's what friends do."

"Okay." Dani said with a shrug, smiling when the others finally joined them, Dani still watching closely as Santana watched the way Ava treated Quinn.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Quinn!" Santana screamed through the phone, causing the blonde to pull it away from her ear. "I need you to get here right now!"

Quinn carefully put the phone back to her ear, "San? What's wrong?"

"I'm at my new apartment-"

Silence.

Quinn stood up from her desk, clutching the phone close to her ear, "Santana? Santana!"

"I'll text you the address. Hurry!"

Quinn looked at her phone when the line went dead, the sound of Santana's panicked voice sending nothing but worry through her entire body, having her grab her purse and quickly telling her boss she was taking an hour break. She was already working way past her clock out time anyway, so there was no protest when she exited the building and made her way to the address that appeared on her phone.

She scrunched up her nose when she entered the dingy apartment building, searching for an elevator to no avail, finally spotting a door that lead to a staircase. She pulled her sleeves over her palms, making a mental not to touch the rails as she took the stairs one by one, making it to the floor Santana's said apartment was on, not surprised to hear a familiar voice shouting from down the hall, causing her to pick up her pace.

"Santana?" Quinn called out, her phone ready to dial 911, barging into the apartment, searching the room for any sort of attackers. It was New York after all and this apartment building didn't seem like the greatest place to be, not to mention the phone call and the terror dripping from Santana's voice over the phone and now through the walls. "What's going on?" She asked, her eyes darting around the small empty space, her guard up, entirely confused when her eyes landed on Santana huddled on a wooden chair that was placed next to a beaten up kitchen table. "Santana?"

Santana screamed, her eyes following some sort of movement on the ground, "Quinn!" she stood up on the chair, pointing in the corner, "Look out, look out! Bruto, fuck!"

Quinn followed Santana's finger, jumping back a little when a newspaper rustled, she could only imagine what fury creature lurked underneath and it finally caused her to smile.

"Why are you just standing there!?" Santana asked, as she blindly reached out grabbing whatever she could find and throwing it at the animal.

"Oh, calm down, Santana." Quinn lightly laughed, walking over to her, not even flinching when she heard some more rustle against the dirty hardwood floors.

Santana stood up on the chair, her eyes darting around the room, "Where'd it go?" She questioned, her arms immediately wrapping around Quinn's shoulders from behind when she spotted the dirty old rat sneering its ugly teeth at her from under the newspaper, "It's a fucking mutant!"

"I've never seen you act this girly before. It's just a rat."

"Full of diseases! I can't get bit, Quinn, I'm too beautiful to die. Plus look at its disgusting greasy fur. " She shivered so much it went right through to Quinn.

Quinn smirked with a shake of her head, searching the room for a broom or something, but clearly Santana wasn't moved in yet, and it was still home to the fury terroriser haunting the floor. Besides the filthy kitchen table and chairs, the place was empty.

"I can't live here. The guy lied to me." Santana said, her arms still tightly wrapped around Quinn's neck from behind, her voice shaky and her breath hot against her ear. "Please help me out of it."

"Did you already sign the papers?" Quinn asked and Santana went silent, causing Quinn to roll her eyes, "Santana."

"Well! Quinn! He lied! I even have the emails he sent me of the place and it looked nothing like this."

"You always check things out in person before you sign anything, Santana."

"I know that now." Santana sighed, hugging Quinn close, resting her head against the blonde's, "Will you help me?"

"Yes." Quinn huffed it obviously not taking her much to give in. Besides that she wouldn't want to see any of her friends live in such a shithole. "We have-"

"There's two!" Santana suddenly shouted, standing up right and jumping off the chair, bolting out of the apartment, shivers of disgust traveling through her entire body.

Quinn's eyes went wide. She could have sworn she saw dust kick up behind Santana, having never seen her run so fast in her life. It was the funniest thing and she was never going to let her live it down. Her face showed nothing but wit as she appeared in the hallway to find Santana checking herself over.

"Santana Lopez, Lima Heights, scared of a baby rat." She taunted.

"That wasn't a fucking baby, Quinn!"

Quinn suddenly gasped, pointing behind Santana, "Do you think that big one behind you is the mom?"

Within seconds Santana's arms were wrapped around Quinn again, her face buried in her neck, "Quinn!"

"I'm joking!" Quinn laughed, her arms wrapping securely around Santana's waist. She would tease Santana all day if this was how she acted when she was scared.

"I hate you." Santana whispered. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

"You have to actually let go of me in order to do that." Quinn smirked, "Plus we can't leave just yet. We need to speak to the landlord."

"Okay." Santana nodded, catching her breath and finally pulling away, smoothing out her coat, and fixing her hair.

Quinn smirked, gently nudging her as they headed for the stairwell. "Let me do all the talking." She said, "I know you can scare a lot of people with that foul mouth of yours, but that could also end badly."

Santana nodded as she followed Quinn through the door to the ground floor, "You're going to get him with the legal stuff, got it. And if he doesn't listen, I'll step in."

"You won't step in. What did I just say?" Quinn smirked, reaching out to grab her chin, making sure she was listening this time, "Let me handle it."

Santana sheepishly smiled, "Sorry, still worked up about the rats."

Quinn dropped her hand, turning and heading for the landlords door, pausing before she knocked. She let out a breath and just like before when she helped Santana land her job her entire demeanour changed and suddenly she was in lawyer mode.

 _Sexy lawyer mode._

Santana stood in the door way as Quinn calmly spoke with the landlord. Her tone was very different and intimidating than normal. She was confident in what she did and every time the landlord tried to interrupt with a counter, Quinn cut him off and went on winning the argument.

"This contract is misleading and we also have the emails to prove even more, so unless you want to take this to court I suggest you rip up the contract and let my client out of her lease." Quinn demanded, "Or I'll help every single person in this building and you'll lose more than just one tenant."

The guy's eyes went wide and in one quick motion he grabbed the contract with Santana's signature on it and tore it into pieces, throwing it in the trash, but it didn't stop there. Quinn tossed him the infamous HBIC look and suddenly he was dumping his entire coffee into the trashcan, making sure there was no way it could get back to anyone.

"Now can you two just leave?" He pleaded nodding to the door.

Quinn crossed her arms and nodded, "Thank you for your time." She added and soon the two were leaving and back on the streets of New York. "How did you find that dump? With your paycheck you can find something a lot better, San."

"I know." Santana said, "I guess I just got excited. Dani is always teasing me about living with Rachel and I feel bad that _I do_ live with Rachel still."

"You know Rachel doesn't mind." Quinn said, coming to a stop at the curb, "Plus it's nice having the both of you living across the hall."

Santana smiled and nodded, "And we get to walk home together. It's nice out. You want to waste money on a cab?"

"I'm actually going back to work." Quinn softly said, deciding to go ahead and answer Santana's questioning expression, "I know it's almost seven. I should be home, but there's this big case and, well I won't bore you with the details, but."

"Always the overachiever." Santana teased, hailing a taxi for Quinn, "I guess I'll still be seeing you across the hall then. And sorry I bugged you while you were at work."

Quinn smirked as she slid into the taxi, shaking her head, "You never bug me, San. I'm just happy I was able to help you out of that situation. Who knows what would have happened with all those rats crawling all over you."

"Not funny, Fabray!" Santana grimaced, slamming the cab door shut and proudly pressing her middle finger against the glass, laughing when Quinn waved and the driver merged onto the street.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Penny for your thoughts, Santana?" Rachel questioned as she studied the girl who looked longingly out the window, her forehead scrunched up with concern.

"Huh?" Santana looked over and finally shook her head, saved by the buzz of her phone.

 **Dani: Come over. Your booty call awaits ;)**

 **Dani: *nude picture***

Santana gasped with a smile. Her eyes sparkling with delight.

"You're going to Dani's?" Rachel smiled due to her obvious expression. "Just ask her back out already. It's okay for you to move on."

Santana shook her head as she stood up, "I'm not ready for the commitment yet."

"Okay, but I like where this is going." Rachel sing-songed.

"Don't wait up." Santana smirked, grabbing her coat and heading out of the apartment, coming to a stop just outside Quinn's door. She pulled her phone out to check the time, it almost nine thirty. She chewed her bottom lip with thought and curiosity, her nosiness getting the better of her, reaching out and knocking. She waited a few minutes and when Quinn didn't answer, her face fell and she was suddenly lost in another round of deep thought.

About a half hour later Santana came to a stop in front of a familiar building, pulling her phone out before she entered to send a quick text.

 **Santana: Hey, not gonna make it tonight.**

 **Dani: Even after the picture?**

 **Santana: Not feeling well. 2morrow.**

She replied and shoved her phone back in her pocket, ignoring the vibration as she entered the building and made her way to the elevator. She reached the floor concerned to see that most of the lights were off and the halls were very dimly lit, the only bright light coming from one office with the door still wide open. She shook her head with disapproval and headed in that direction, quietly coming to a stop at the threshold, catching the sight of Quinn sitting upright behind her desk engrossed in her work.

"Hey." Santana quietly greeted, knocking softly on the door, hoping not to scare her.

Quinn eye's slowly moved to the doorway, confused, but then delighted to see the friendly face, "Hey."

"I knew you'd still be here." Santana smirked and walked in holding up a takeout bag, "I bet you didn't eat dinner either."

"I haven't." Quinn shook her head, letting out a breath as she stretched her back out, checking the time. "It's almost ten?"

"Uh yeah. This is unhealthy, Q." Santana said, her voice serious, waving her hand over the desk to showcase exactly what she meant.

"Things will settle down after this week." Quinn said, ignoring the look she was getting and grabbing the food from Santana's hand, "Oh my god, meat. I haven't had a burger in so long."

"Oh yeah, you're dating a vegetarian." Santana rolled her eyes, as she placed everything out on Quinn's desk. "She coming to get you after you're done here?"

"No, why would she?" Quinn asked, eagerly unwrapping the burger, pretty much moaning when she took a bite.

Santana shook her head, secretly disappointed by the lack of thoughtfulness this supposedly smart girlfriend had. Maybe Quinn was an adult and she could probably most definitely handle her own, but it still didn't change the fact that they lived in New York City and the thought of Quinn traveling home so late at night by herself bothered her, "I'm staying until you're done. You get a half hour and then we're going home."

"So demanding." Quinn smirked, her eyes fluttering shut when the grease pooled onto her tongue and the meat happily slid into her stomach.

"Mmhm. I'm timing you." Santana said, grabbing her own food and heading over to the couch, "Man you have it made. You mack on hot clients on this couch? I would."

Quinn finished another bite of her burger and then rose an eyebrow in her direction, "If you're going to stay, you have to be quiet." Quinn stated, smiling when Santana pretended to zip her lips shut, lock it and throw away the key. "Thank you."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Thanks for bringing me dinner, San." Quinn quietly said as the two stopped in front of the doors to their apartments, "And for keeping me company."

Santana nodded with a small shrug, "You should start working from home if you're going to be that late."

"I know." Quinn answered as she pulled her keys out, about to thank her again, but her phone began to ring, "It's Ava." She said, looking at the name flash across the screen and then back to Santana.

"Now she checks up on you." Santana rolled her eyes, but gave Quinn a nod, "Better put her mind at ease. Goodnight, Quinn."

"Night, San." Quinn replied and then answered the phone, "Hey, I'm finally home." She said before disappearing inside her apartment.

Santana turned and headed into the apartment, a sudden wave of gloom washing over her. She seemed to lose herself in thought as she mindlessly got ready for bed, confused by this feeling, wondering why it was happening now and most importantly puzzled and trying to figure out if it had anything to do with Quinn. Even if it did involve Quinn, it wasn't like she could do anything about it, because Quinn had a girlfriend now.

She sighed as she walked over to the couch, coming to a stop in front of it and staring. She rolled her eyes and turned around heading for Rachel's bedroom, barging in and turning on the light, "You awake?" she loudly asked, biting back a smile when Rachel jolted upright, clutching her chest and squeaking.

"Santana! How many times-" Rachel groaned trying to catch her breath, while she brushed her hair out of her face, "What is so important, you have to come in here at midnight?"

Santana pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest, eyeing the petite brunette, not exactly thrilled about opening up to her, so she just stood there like an idiot.

"Santana?" Rachel tried again, "I thought you were sleeping at Dani's?"

"Rachel..." Santana whined, "I don't feel like talking, but I just... don't make me ask."

Rachel let out a breath as she leaned back on her hands; a flash back to when Santana was first dealing with the Brittany heartache coming to mind. She had obviously come a long way since then, but she knew the signs of when Santana needed comfort and she also knew Santana hated to put herself out there and look weak by asking, she just had to wonder what had Santana so bothered that she insisted on waking her up so rudely to get it.

"Come here." Rachel finally caved in, waving her to the bed and lying back down.

Santana shut the light off and crossed the floor to the bed, crawling on and under the duvet. She shifted close to Rachel, pressing her body against hers, using Rachel's stomach as a pillow, her arm resting comfortably over her lower abdomen. Kurt and Tina still often teased them about being a couple and even though they sometimes cuddled if either of them needed the comfort there was still absolutely nothing sexual about it. It was the first friendship Santana could say she had where it was purely genuine. There were no weird mixed feelings, Rachel and Santana took care of each other, they were best friends, family even. And right now, Santana was more than grateful for having someone like Rachel in her life, while her other relationships started to become confusing and messy.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Quinn sat on Rachel's couch, zoned out while Kurt and Rachel chitchatted about who only knows what. She swirled the red liquid around in her wine glass and let out a breath. It was Saturday night, she had been looking forward to a night in with friends all week after working her ass off. But once she wasn't distracted by law information her mind slipped into things she was trying to avoid for the past several weeks and with the wine settling nicely into her system and being among friends she finally just blurted out what was on her mind.

"I think I'm going to break up with Ava."

Rachel and Kurt finally stopped speaking slowly turning to look at her.

"Thank goodness." Kurt quietly mumbled.

"Kurt!" Rachel gasped, swatting his arm and turning to offer Quinn a look of sympathy.

Quinn smirked, lazily turning her head to face the two of them, Kurt's reaction strangely making her feel less guilty about her decision.

"Sorry, Quinn, she's boring." Kurt spoke up, "I just think you can do way better."

"Thank you." Quinn quietly replied.

"I thought you were happy?" Rachel wondered, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Quinn's knee, giving it a squeeze.

"I was kind of faking it." Quinn truthfully answered, "It was alright at the start. I tried...I really tried, but every time we hung out I just-"She paused and shook her head with a sigh, her eyes going between Kurt and Rachel who waited for her to elaborate, so after draining the rest of the alcohol from her glass, she confessed to the major reason for wanting the breakup, "I keep comparing her to Santana."

"When I said you could do better, Santana wasn't exactly the person who popped into my mind." Kurt replied with wide eyes.

"I know!" Quinn said as she stood up, running her fingers through her hair, frustrated with her own feelings, "It's stupid, but you guys. It's Santana, she was such a bitch in high school, and yeah she still can be one, but don't you find her more caring and sweet and sexy-"

"I'm going to stop you at sexy." Kurt awkwardly laughed. "I do admit she's more caring though."

Quinn rolled her eyes, beginning to pace in front of them, "It's not like these feelings _just_ happened. 's wedding was one of the best most satisfying nights of my life and I wanted to talk to her about it, but we both just wrote it off as me being experimental and then I was busy with university and then she was dating Dani and I kind of just kept to myself hoping maybe we'd somehow have another hook up and then-"

Kurt suddenly gasped, grabbing Rachel's hand his eyes wide, his reaction causing Quinn to stop and slowly turn to him.

"Kurt, what?" Rachel asked, her eyes going from Quinn and then back to Kurt, wondering what she could have possibly missed.

"That's why you didn't go to the wedding!?" Kurt declared. "You've been in love with Santana since your valentine's day hook up!"

It was Rachel's turn to gasp and when she turned to face Quinn her face was showcasing nothing but guilt.

"It wasn't love at that time, but my feelings were strong." Quinn admitted, "Plus I was busy with school." She quietly said, but the look Kurt was giving her had her confessing to more, "Well okay, maybe the thought of watching Santana marrying Britt made me feel nauseous. I even had a letter I was going to send to her when I declined the RSVP, but I chickened out, it was Brittany and Santana, Santana was _in_ love. But look how that turned out-"

"Then they divorced and all those old feelings came back." Kurt nodded as he clasped his hands together, suddenly giddy about this new information and mostly happy that he figured it out.

"Yeah, they came back times a million. And they keep on overwhelming me." Quinn muttered, "Which is why...I've been working so hard lately. I'm going to London for work."

"You're moving to London!?" Rachel shouted.

"I'm not moving there." Quinn clarified, "We're opening up a firm over there and they need help. I was picked to go. It'll just be for a month, but I figured it'd be good to get away from Santana and Ava and just be on my own again."

"Oh no, Quinn. Don't shut us out. You always run or turn all broody when things don't go your way." Rachel honestly pointed out.

"Rachel, I can't watch Santana be with other girls right now. It hurts." Quinn whispered. "Knowing she's with Dani right now. Ugh... I want to punch Dani out and she's like the nicest person I ever met." Quinn said with aggravation, "Like back in high school she was just Santana, this hot bitch I used to compete against. Then slowly she became Santana can I lick your abs Lopez."

Kurt's hands shot up to his ears, wincing slightly, "I'm not sure I'll be able to get used to you talking about her like that."

"Sorry." Quinn smiled with a shrug. "But not only that, she's always making sure I'm okay like she makes me feel safe and protected, and she's hilarious and you guys she's scared of rats and it was so fucking cute because she needed me that day and she let me be there for her and ugh...I just... I don't know what to do."

Rachel nodded and stood up, walking over to take both of her hands, "Just don't come back with pink hair." She teased and Quinn playfully rolled her eyes.

"I kind of enjoyed that look." Kurt said with a raise of his hand, him too standing and walking over to wrap an arm around Quinn's shoulders, "But I get it, if you need to get away for a bit."

"I do." Quinn whispered.

"More wine?" Kurt suggested, pulling away to head to the kitchen, "Because I think I'm starting to like the thought of a Santana and Quinn relationship. You two would rule New York City."

"Yes please." Quinn nodded.

Rachel looked up at her, giving her hands a squeeze, "I'm sorry, Quinn. I thought when you met Ava your feelings weren't as strong."

"I was hoping for that." Quinn weakly smiled pulling away to happily grab her newly refreshed glass of wine from Kurt. "I didn't work."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was a rainy day and Ava and Quinn ran to the restaurant door, trying to stay as dry as they could. Quinn rolled her eyes as Ava opened the door and slid inside first, not even looking back to see if Quinn had made it in, while all Quinn could think about was how Santana would have made sure Quinn was inside the building first and probably would have offered her, her coat, even if Quinn actually had her own one this time.

"So you actually helped her out of her lease?" Ava asked as they followed the waiter over to their table for two.

"Well yeah." Quinn said surprised Ava was evening questioning her.

"She signed the papers though."

Quinn took a seat across from her, squinting in her direction, "Did you miss the part where he lied to her and sent her false information? The place was a shithole I wouldn't let my worst enemy live there."

"But she signed the papers."

Quinn huffed and rolled her eyes, happy things started out this way, because it was going to make things much easier. She was going to wait until after dinner, but as the waiter approached to take their drink order, Quinn held up her hand and politely waved him off.

"Listen..." Quinn began, not even taking her coat off.

Ava clenched her jaw, sensing where this was going.

"I can't do this anymore." Quinn said, "It's not fair to either of us."

"Is it Santana?"

Quinn sat back, wondering if it was that obvious, and yeah there was a huge part that this was about Santana, but also really, she didn't click with Ava at all. It wasn't worth it to fake it anymore. Being with someone just for the sake of being with someone was dumb, and it wasn't fair to use Ava to try and forget about Santana, especially when it wasn't even working and doing the complete opposite.

"Mostly work." Quinn said, "They want me to go to London for a month, so..."

"Long distance?"

Quinn sighed, being blunt would just have to be the way, "Honestly, we don't click. I'm not happy and... Yeah, Santana is a big reason why."

Ava pursed her lips, but nodded, "Ouch."

"I'm sorry." Quinn quietly said as she stood up, just wanting to be anywhere but there, "I'm sorry I wasted your time... our time."

"I'm sorry too." Ava replied.

Quinn bit her lip, watching her for a few seconds, not sure what else to say, so she finally just turned and quickly left the building, the rain not even a bother as it poured down on her, feeling a sudden sense of freedom, one she felt back when she was living in Boston without all the emotions and feelings, a time when she only really had to think about herself, feelings that now had her contemplating if she should ask for a transfer to move back to Boston.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So Quinn was over the other night..." Santana began as her and Dani lay in bed, Dani savouring the aftermath of their round two, while Santana seemed to be extra chatty tonight. Dani smiled and rolled her eyes when Quinn was mentioned _again_ and instead of interrupting her she relaxed into her mattress and allowed Santana to speak, "She and Rachel were cooking, because they owed me dinner, that's another story..." Santana smirked turning her head to see if Dani was listening and when she saw that she was she carried on, "So Q's a terrible cook and while Rachel was blabbing on about what to do, Quinn was just making all these cute faces at her." Santana actually giggled just by the memory, it causing Dani to lightly laugh.

Dani reached out, resting her hand on her bicep, "Quinn can't cook huh? She seems like someone who could pick up on anything fairly quickly."

"Not cooking." Santana said with a shake of her head, her eyebrows coming together with thought, "I think it's because she doesn't like doing it, so she doesn't care to learn. Because you're right, she probably could do it if she tried, Quinn's smart like that." she turned on her side, facing Dani with a quirky smile, "Did I tell you she got me out of my apartment lease? Even after I signed."

Dani smirked, "Yes, she rescued you from the rats and everything."

"It was so sexy, her being all lawyer like." Santana smiled and let out a small breath, that last part supposed to be in her head, but obviously she didn't notice and instead she leaned forward to crash her lips into Dani's, rolling herself on top.

"Santana." Dani mumbled into the kiss, pushing at her shoulders.

"What?" Santana asked, pulling away to look at her.

Dani rolled her eyes, "Not that I mind spending the night with you, but you just gushed about Quinn for the last five minutes. I can't help but wonder if you're going to be thinking about her while we have sex." She gently rolled Santana off of her, "You've been talking about her all night actually. At the movies, Quinn doesn't like extra butter on her popcorn because it makes it soggy, but she does like mixing her M&Ms in with the popcorn because she likes sweet and salty. Quinn prefers red wine over white. I could go on and on. I could probably write her a dating profile and you know who would click on it?"

"Who?"

"You!" Dani said as she sat up and climbed out of bed, searching for her clothes.

"What?" Santana asked as she sat up as well, "I'm just making conversation."

"Santana I know you've been through a lot this past year and a half and maybe you're not being honest with yourself because on some level you're scared." Dani began, "But you have it bad for Quinn. And I know she likes you too." She shook her head as she tossed Santana's clothes at her, "So until you figure your shit out, I'm not doing this friends with benefits thing with you anymore."

Santana gasped, "Dani!"

"Santana." Dani sighed with a hand on her hip, "I'm going to be that person and kick you out. I think you still have a lot to figure out. You're sleeping on Rachel's couch and I almost wonder if you make excuses not to move so you can be close to Quinn who just ironically lives across the hall."

"She has a girlfriend though." Santana mumbled as she climbed off the bed to start pulling her clothes on, "This is stupid, you don't want to get all up on this?" She asked proudly showing off her nakedness in an attempt to getting it in one last time.

Dani stood there for a few good seconds, taking a mental picture of that perfectly delectable body, but somewhere in her she found her willpower and shook her head.

"Women are ridiculous." Santana muttered as she finally pulled her clothes on, "Wait till Rachel hears about this."

Dani lightly laughed with a shake of her head, "Santana, stop being cute about it."

"I'm not cute, I'm sexy."

"What if I dyed my hair blonde? Would that help?" Dani teased remembering long ago when another blonde stole her away the first time.

"I'm going!" Santana said with a snap of her fingers. "Bye." She waved and sauntered out the bedroom door. "You're missing out on some damn good sex, just saying!" She called out one last time before finally leaving the apartment.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"I'm not into Quinn." Santana muttered to herself as she headed back to the apartment, "I mean she's hot and smart and funny and – okay Santana, stop it!" She scolded herself with a shake of her head, rounding the corner, letting out a breath as she came closer to the building, smiling to herself when she found Quinn sitting on the steps outside. "What is she doing?" She wondered, picking up her pace, her smile fading when she came to a stop in front of the suffering blonde, "Quinn? What're you doing?"

Quinn let out a slow and shaky breath, clutching one of her broken heels in her hand, while she tried to hide her face with the other, "Oh just enjoying the weather." She sarcastically answered.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked, crouching in front of her, trying to take a look at her face. "Quinn?"

"I fucking fell!" Quinn finally shouted, throwing her heel against the ground, the one responsible for breaking and causing her to slam her back hard against the stairs when she was leaving work.

Santana flinched, looking over her shoulder to where the heel landed and then back to Quinn who began sniffling.

"I'm supposed to be leaving for London in a few days. I've been busting my ass off for this opportunity and then a stupid freak accident throws my back out."

"London?" Santana questioned.

Quinn just shook her head, whimpering when a jolt of pain shot through her.

"Okay, okay." Santana nodded, "Let's go inside so you can lie down."

"It hurts to move." Quinn whispered.

"Okay, um." Santana paused and then carefully moved to sit behind her, and then began to cautiously massage her back, "Is this helping?"

Quinn sat quietly relaxing under Santana's touch, it helping a tiny bit, but she had to wonder if old injuries from her past car accident were suddenly triggered.

"Why don't we go to the emergency room?" Santana asked worried about the past accident as well, "You're job has to have coverage."

Quinn wiped a stray tear quickly from her eye, her hands shaking, unsure of what to do. "What if it's serious?"

"Then that is exactly the reason why we should go." Santana answered, "They can do more for you there than I can sitting on this step massaging you all night."

Quinn stayed silent, leaning back against Santana, digging her nails into her calves as the pain tormented her and thoughts of her having to use a wheelchair again flooded her mind. She was scared and in pain, but sitting in between Santana's legs somehow made this situation a little better. She gritted her teeth and then finally nodded, "Will you come with me?"

"Well duh." Santana answered.

"Give me a few minutes." Quinn softly said, trying to muster up some strength to stand up. When she finally did Santana was there to quickly help her, hailing a taxi and then the two were on their way to the hospital.

Several hours later, the two stood in the elevator, Quinn with her arms wrapped around Santana's waist, her head resting against her shoulder.

"I feel stupid." Quinn slurred, her pain medication starting to kick in. The doctor assuring her that it was nothing serious, but the pain she was feelings was in fact due to her history from the car accident.

Santana smiled, wrapping her arm around her shoulders as she guided them out onto their floor, "Better to be safe than sorry, especially with your past, Q. At least you know it's nothing serious and the doctor said it was good that you came in after reading over your history."

"I was just scared." Quinn mumbled stumbling a little as they reached her door, holding her keys out for Santana to take.

"Me too." Santana whispered, grabbing the keys and quickly unlocking the door and then hurrying to catch a falling over Quinn, "Okay how many pills did you take?"

"Enough."

"Uh huh." Santana nodded, finally just manoeuvring Quinn and picking her up bridal style, thanking all her gym time and kickboxing classes and Quinn for being healthily thin for making the move so easy "Let's get you to bed."

"Whoa." Quinn smiled, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck, "So strong..." she mused, resting her head against her shoulder, her eyes slipping shut, "You're always saving me, San..."

Santana smirked as she entered Quinn's bedroom, gently laying her on the bed, "I guess I could say the same for you." she said as she pulled the covers back and helped Quinn get situated, "Is there anything else you need?" She asked, "I don't want you to be by yourself, do you want me to call Ava?"

"No, no, we broke up."

"Oh." Santana said, as she sat on the edge of the bed, a sudden feeling of happiness washing over her, "Why? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"The other day." Quinn whispered as she began to drift off, the last thing that unknowingly escaped her lips before she completely fell asleep being, "Because I'm in love with you, San."

Santana gasped and stood up, shaking her head with disbelief. She reached into her coat pocket, pulling the bottle of pills out, reading the label and then putting it on Quinn's nightstand, "It's the pills. She just took too many. She doesn't know what she's saying."

Santana paced around the room, her heart pounding and her mind going crazy, all while Quinn peacefully slept two feet from her. Finally she pulled her phone out and texted Rachel and after what seemed like an eternity the petite brunette entered Quinn's apartment.

"Santana?"

Santana quickly left Quinn's bedroom and entered the living area where Rachel stood.

"What happened?" Rachel asked with concern, it only worsening when she saw the sight of the wide eyed, troubled looking Santana, "Santana?!"

"Shhh! Quinn is sleeping..." Santana said, walking over and grabbing Rachel's shoulders, "Rachel..." She whimpered, "I...what the fuck!"

"What!?" Rachel asked, entirely confused by Santana's behaviour. "Santana, you're acting extremely unusual lately, can you climb off your high horse and use your words this time? You can't just keep using my body as comfort every time something happens and you don't want to talk about it." Rachel paused a moment, rethinking her choice of words, waiting for a _wanky_ from Santana when all she meant was that Santana craved comfort in the form of cuddles and hugs, but when Santana just stood there frozen, not replying at all to the obvious sexual innuendo her worry spiked and she reached up to gently cup Santana's face in her hands, "Santana is Quinn alright? Are you alright?"

"Rachel..." Santana whispered, her shoulders slumping, her voice monotone as she explained, "Quinn hurt her back. She's on a bunch of pain killers."

"Oh, god." Rachel quietly breathed out, "She's supposed to leave for London in a few days." She said, sliding her hands to rest on Santana's shoulders.

"She's going to be fine." Santana blankly stated.

Rachel slowly nodded, still searching her eyes, "What else, Santana?"

"She said she was in love with me."

"Wha-what?"

Santana nodded and pulled away, running her fingers through her hair, "You knew about London?" she asked turning to face her, "And Ava?"

Rachel stood there, chewing her bottom lip out of guilt, slowly nodding. "I-I didn't think it was my place to say anything."

Santana only nodded as she walked up to Quinn's bedroom door, pausing and then turning around to walk back over to Rachel, an anxious vibe to her step, her voice shaky as she spoke, "Do you think she only said that because she's on pain meds?"

Rachel exhaled, the sound of it almost emitting defeat, "Santana..." she began as she fidgeted with her hands, unsure with how to handle this situation. It was Quinn's secret after all, a huge one, but she couldn't stand to see the confused and worried expression on Santana's face any longer either. Although before she answered Santana's question, a new revelation popped in her mind, causing her to voice her own wonderment, "Wait, is this why you've been so needy lately?"

"Huh?" Santana mumbled her eyebrows creasing with uncertainty and offence, "I don't get needy, Rach."

Rachel gave her a knowing look, but decided to wave it off, "Santana, are you struggling with your own feelings for Quinn? I thought you were with Dani tonight – every time I think you're with Dani, you're with Quinn."

"I was with Dani, but she kicked me out..." Santana trailed with a roll of her eyes and then nodded and quietly added, "Because I was talking about Quinn too much."

"Do you like her? Because if you do. I think you and Quinn have a lot to discuss." Rachel informed her, watching as Santana's uneasiness only increased, "Santana, have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? Let your walls down and talk to me. Please."

Santana turned away from Rachel with a shake of her head, trying to make sense of her emotions and the ongoing struggle they were causing, coming to the conclusion that she was only making things worse by not letting them out. Plus Rachel was right, she had always been there for her, she didn't know why this situation had to be any different, so finally she turned back to face her, with tears in her eyes and whispered, "I'm scared."

Rachel slowly walked over to her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to carry on.

"With Dani, it's just fun ya know. We get it on and it's a cliché no strings attached, no feelings kind of thing." Santana explained, "But with Quinn..." she tensed and moved over to sit on the edge of the couch, finding a particular spot on the wall and dazing out as she spoke, "With Quinn it's real. And she deserves nothing but the best, but I already had my chance with someone and look how that turned out. It broke me."

"So who says you can't try again?" Rachel quietly asked, coming over to sit on the coffee table in front of Santana, "Who decided that we only get one chance on love?"

Santana shrugged, quickly reaching up to wipe at her cheek when she felt a tear drop on it. "What if-"

"Stop thinking about the what ifs and just follow your heart." Rachel cut her off, reaching out to take her hand, "Quinn does deserve nothing but the best and so do you, Santana. And from what I've observed over the past year and a half I'd have to say I've never met two people more right for each other in all my life."

Santana lightly laughed with a shake of her head, "This is getting uncomfortably cheesy."

"I think you secretly enjoy it."

Santana sighed and finally stood up, her eyes falling on the bedroom door for a few seconds, "I need to go for a walk or something." She said as she started to back away towards the door, "You'll stay with her, right?"

"Of course." Rachel answered and stood up, "Please don't do anything drunkenly stupid."

"Sober thoughts." Santana promised with a smirk and then disappeared out the door.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So here's to Quinn's last night in New York!" Blaine smiled while holding up his drink, "Keep on kicking ass and climbing that corporate ladder. I don't know why you have to go to London for a month, but we're all proud of you."

"Cheers to that." Kurt smiled and the others raised their glasses and clinked them.

"Thanks you guys." Quinn smiled, "It's just a month. I'll be back before you know it. I'm starting to think you guys just like to celebrate things as an excuse to go out."

"This is something to be celebrated." Rachel smiled, nudging her in the side, "Let us rejoice in all of your hard work."

"I mean, if you insist." Quinn smirked, taking a long drink and then eyed Santana who was being unusually quiet. "Hey..." She said, waving her hand in Santana's face, "Where's Dani?"

Santana shrugged and leaned back against the chair, "She was busy."

Quinn slowly nodded, studying her demeanour, "Are you okay, Santana?"

Santana cleared her throat, finally mustering up a fake smile, "I'm fine. I'm actually about to go get another drink. I'm buying, you want one?"

"Yes, please." Quinn smiled.

Santana nodded and headed to the bar, Rachel closely following behind.

"So she doesn't remember?" Santana asked, turning to face Rachel after she put her order in to the bartender.

Rachel shook her head, "All she remembers is you carrying her to bed and falling asleep." She answered, watching as Santana took a shot and then washed it down with her new drink, "I think you should talk to her before she leaves instead of drinking over this."

"Liquid courage." Santana said.

"Santana, you're going to regret tonight if you don't say something." Rachel stated.

"It'll be fine." Santana assured as she made her way back over to the table, sliding Quinn her drink, but sitting next to Blaine.

A while later as the night carried on, Santana stumbled back from the bathroom, her eyes searching the bar until they narrowed in on a certain blonde who was talking to a few coworkers from her firm. Suddenly the alcohol in her system produced the guts she had been looking for and she marched over to her the best that she could, gently shoving Quinn's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana demanded.

Quinn's expression showed one of surprise, turning to her coworkers and excusing herself, before turning her full attention to Santana, "Tell you what?"

"That you were going to London." Santana answered, "Or that you broke up with Ava – or that you... you..." She paused and shook her head not ready to bring up the _love_ thing yet, "Why am I always the last one to know?"

"It was a last minute decision. You weren't around. Kurt and Rachel were."

"Hey, welcome to the new world, Quinn. We have phones where we can text and call. They've only been around for the last billion years."

"I'm sorry. I-I-" Quinn sighed, "You're right. I don't have an excuse."

"We need to be more open with each other." Santana said, leaning forward her arm resting against the wall behind Quinn's shoulder, reaching up to tuck a few pieces of stray hair behind Quinn's ear, "Ya know, Q?"

Quinn let out a ragged breath, swallowing hard due to the closeness.

"Santana!"

Santana turned to look over her shoulder, Tina's arm wrapping around her bicep, unknowingly ruining a moment, "I need your help."

"Kind of busy." Santana said trying to turn back to Quinn, but Tina began to drag her in the opposite direction.

"I just made a bet on you." Tina smirked, while biting her bottom lip with guilt, not caring she rudely interrupted a conversation between Quinn and Santana, she was still annoyed with Quinn for dumping Ava out of the blue anyway.

"Huh?"

"$100. You can out drink this guy." Tina clarified as she pulled out a chair and shoved Santana in the seat.

Santana looked up at the frat boys, about to decline, but the way they were smugly staring at her caused her competitiveness to skyrocket.

"I'm in." Santana said, snapping her fingers to the waitress who began to place the shots down on the table, all the bro's high fiving each other. The muscular one she was drinking against licking his lips and wiggling his eyebrows, "Oh please." Santana laughed, "You'll be going home with your hand tonight."

Twenty minutes later Santana stood up as she drank her last shot with victory, while the muscular guy passed out onto the floor, while Tina reached out to take her winnings, only stopping when a hand tightly wrapped around her wrist.

"I don't fucking thinking so." Santana said, reaching out to shove the guy away from Tina, "Money is ours. Your buddy is passed out." She said coming toe to toe with him.

"I'll hit a girl." The guy dared to say.

Santana smiled, but soon felt a hand on her chest, Quinn stepping in between them.

"Come on, Quinn. Let him hit me. Let him see what happens. Let him learn a lesson." Santana taunted. "I'll end him."

"How about we go home." Quinn insisted gently pushing Santana backwards and away from the frat boys, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, but Santana's attention was still focused over her shoulder, staring down the boys as if they were her prey, "Santana."

"I have the money." Tina said, waving half of it in front of Santana's face, "Thank you and I apologize. I didn't know they would want to fight after losing."

"I might as well keep showing them who the winner really is." Santana said, grabbing her half of the money from Tina, "We can double it."

"Stop, San." Quinn pleaded, reaching up to softly grab her face, forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"You want me to buy you another drink?" Santana smirked, holding up a twenty dollar bill in front of Quinn, while her other hand rested comfortably on her hip.

"I think you had enough to drink." Quinn said her nose scrunching up due to the smell of alcohol on her breath. "Plus I'm leaving. I still have to finish packing."

"Party pooper." Santana hiccupped.

"We're all leaving." Kurt said, "It's getting late and stuffy in here and it's starting to fill with annoying college kids and fake ID's"

"Fine." Santana said and pulled away, "Whatever." She mumbled and stumbled to over to grab her coat.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Quinn..." Santana slurred as they came to a stop in front of their apartments, her arms wrapping loosely around the blonde's waist, "Quinn." She sighed, laying her head on her shoulder, the alcohol did a great job at fogging her mind while they were at the bar, but now that she had to officially say goodnight to Quinn knowing she was leaving tomorrow, she wasn't sure she was ready.

Quinn gently wrapped her arms around her, "What?"

"Don't go."

"I have to."

Santana shook her head as she lifted it back up, her glossy eyes locking with Quinn's, "No you don't."

Quinn smiled with a tilt of her head, "It'll be just like the time I was in Boston. We went months without seeing each other, remember? I'm sure you'll be fine."

"What if I make a deal with the devil that I need to get out of? Or if I'm forced to sign some weird contract thing? Who'll get me out of it if you're not here?"

"Don't be signing anything while I'm gone."

Santana scoffed, "I can't promise that. So you have to stay."

Quinn sighed, searching Santana's drunken eyes for something deeper, "Why do you really want me to stay, San?"

Santana rested her forehead against Quinn's, letting out a slow breath, "I'm going to miss you." She quietly spoke, "I like you being close and across the hall."

"Is that it?" Quinn whispered, her hands resting comfortably on Santana's shoulders, while Santana's were placed delightfully on her lower back, their noses inches apart and their lips so close together their breath was mixing.

"London's too far." Santana answered, avoiding the answer she knew Quinn was searching for, still scared about what would happen if she admitted it, even in her drunken state.

Quinn's eyes fluttered shut and she nodded, "Exactly why I need to go." She said and finally pulled back, happy to hear the ding of the elevator, Rachel's joyful hum filling the hallway. "You need to sleep this night off."

"With you?" Santana eagerly asked taking a drunken step forward.

Quinn shook her head, resting her hand on Santana's chest, "Rachel will take care of you. She's good at that. Plus I still have some packing to get done."

"Quinn."

"Santana."

Before anything else was said, Rachel came over, looping an arm through Santana's, knowing the drill all too well by now, "Water and bed."

Santana watched Quinn for a few seconds and then finally nodded, allowing Rachel to guide her to the door and unlock it.

"Have a safe flight." Santana mumbled over her shoulder.

"Bye, San." Quinn sadly sighed.

After making sure Santana was inside the apartment, she turned to Quinn, offering her a hug, "Have a safe flight. Text me or call me or whatever when you make it there, okay?"

"I will." Quinn quietly nodded.

Rachel pulled away, letting out a breath and finally just, "She knows you love her."

Quinn sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes going wide. "What?"

"I know now is probably not the best time to tell you this." Rachel said. "You told her when you were high on pain medication."

Quinn let out a shaky breath, her eyes darting around the hallway, avoiding Rachel, "That explains why she was acting weird tonight." She whispered, "But she still didn't say anything."

"She's scared, Quinn."

"This just makes my decision to go to London even better." Quinn finally said, turning back to her apartment.

"Quinn. Please."

"I'll see you in a month, Rachel." Quinn said finally disappearing into her apartment and shutting the door.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The next morning Santana slowly woke up, head pounding and seemingly full of regret. She was beginning to think that drinking her problems away wasn't the greatest way at handling life.

"Good morning!" Rachel smiled brightly as she entered the living room.

"You do that on purpose." Santana mumbled, sitting up on the couch with her head in her hands.

Rachel nodded as she pulled open the drapes, causing Santana to groan, "Of course I do. You do this to yourself, Santana, really. And does it help?"

Santana shrugged, "It made me realize that I'm stupid and I should have talked to Quinn sober."

"And instead you're causing scenes and picking fights." Rachel scolded.

"I didn't know what to do, Rachel!" Santana said slamming her hand on the coffee table.

Rachel flinched, holding her hand over her chest, "Well don't take it out on me."

"I'm not." Santana mumbled as she slowly stood up, "It's not too late." She said as she headed for the door, "I can still talk to her."

Rachel followed her, confused, "Um...Santana, Quinn is gone."

Santana came to a stop just as her hand rested on the door handle, "What?"

"She left an hour ago." Rachel answered.

And just like that Santana wished she was drunk again. "She left?"

"Well yeah..."

"Rachel!" Santana shouted for the second time that day, her heart beginning to race, her palms sweaty, "Rachel!?"

"What!?"

"What if she meets some hot British chick with an accent!?"

"Santana, you're timing is impeccable." Rachel sarcastically responded. "You couldn't have realized your feelings last night or I don't know a week ago!?"

"What time does her flight leave?" Santana asked as she began to run around the apartment trying to find her things.

"An hour and a half." Rachel said.

"I'm going to the airport." Santana declared, "She can't leave the country for a month without knowing how I feel."

Rachel gasped with delight, a sudden romantic twinkle in her eye, her hands clasping together, grinning like a fool, "Oh! It'll just be like one of those romantic movies. You running through the airport to greet her and to confess your love...Quinn running into your arms. I wish I could come!"

"Don't ruin this for me." Santana said with an eye roll as she shouldered her purse and fled the apartment.

"Call me!" Rachel said poking her head out of the door, watching as Santana slammed her finger into the elevator button, "I'll be at the theater, but call me and tell me how it went. Good luck!"

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Santana swore at the cabbie in Spanish the entire way to the airport, throwing money at him with no tip as she nervously jumped out of the vehicle, mumbling a learn how to use the gas pedal as she slammed the door shut. She didn't let that faze her for too long though, because she was now at the airport and only had twenty minutes to find Quinn.

After calling Quinn for what seemed like the millionth time and being sent to voicemail again, she held the phone close to her lips to leave a message, "You're supposed to answer your phone when someone is trying to call you!" and then she hung up and shouldered passed people and to the counter to buy a cheap ticket.

After quickly buying a ticket and making it through TSA she searched all the boards for Quinn's flight, panicking when she couldn't find anything departing to London.

Quickly she pulled her phone out, calling Rachel, who happily answered, "Did everyone applauded?" She gushed dreamily.

"No." Santana bitterly answered, "I can't find her gate and she's not answering her phone."

Rachel sighed.

"Do you have her flight information written down? Is she making a connecting flight first?"

"Hang on, it's in my phone." Rachel said while Santana waited impatiently for Rachel to check the details, it taking far too long before she heard her voice on the other end again, "Okay, JFK, flight-"

"Wait. What?" Santana questioned cutting her off before hearing the rest, her heart sinking and her stomach twisting.

"JFK-"

"Rachel." Santana whispered, her eyes fluttering shut, tears actually stinging her eyes.

"Santana, what's wrong?"

"I'm at the wrong airport."


	11. Chapter 11

**I had two versions of this chapter written - I hope I went with the right one lol because wow I had some mixed reviews for that last chapter. Made me remember why I dislike writing chapter stories. haha. I hope this chapter fulfills your Quinntana needs.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Santana hung up on Rachel, her shoulders slumping and her eyes watering. People were racing pass her to get to their gates, but Santana just stood there, not even bothered as people bumped and elbowed her. As numb as she felt though she brought her phone up and tried calling Quinn once more, not surprised when it went to voicemail.

"Hey, It's Santana." She rolled her eyes at the awkwardness, "I really didn't want do this over the phone, especially voicemail, but as it turns out I'm an idiot." She lightly laughed, as she slowly walked over and flopped into an empty seat at one of the random gates, "I'm scared, Q. And I wish we could talk about this in person instead of waiting a month, cuz you're probably gonna meet some hottie with an accent and I'm gonna miss out on us-" _voicemail full._

Santana sighed and slowly pulled the phone from her ear, "Of course." She muttered as she hung up and rested her head back against the seat, digging the palm of her hands into her eyes.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there for, but she eventually stood up and left the airport, coming out, surprised to see a friendly face.

"Rachel sent me." Kurt said with an empathic smile, the two locking eyes as Santana came to a stop in front of him, "She's in the middle of a show and she thought you could use a friend."

Santana let out a shaky breath and nodded, not wasting any more time and stepping forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. It wasn't like this was a breakup, or a divorce, but on some level it still hurt and she was happy Kurt was there to comfort her.

"These are the feelings I was trying to avoid." Santana quietly mumbled against his shoulder.

Kurt ran his hand soothingly up and down her back, pulling her a little closer, "She'll be back."

"What if it's too late?" Santana wondered as she repositioned her arms and moved her head, trying to get comfortable, "You're all like muscular." She said with disgust as she pulled back to look at him, "Quinn's gone and now I can't even get a hug from Rachel. This day sucks." She whimpered and despite insulting him, she pulled him back in for another embrace.

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not." Kurt smirked and just held her close, "Did you try calling her?"

"Well duh." Santana mumbled, "Her voicemail is full. This is such a romantic grand gesture fail."

"You could always go to London."

Santana scoffed and shook her head, "If she's not answering her phone, why would she want to see me?"

"Well, Santana, you kind of left the ball in Quinn's court, so, it's up to her now." Kurt said as he slightly pulled away to look down at her, "It's either going to work out or-"

"Don't even say it." Santana bitterly replied and pulled away, looping her arm through his, "Let's go get a drink or something."

"Not too drunk, though, okay?" Kurt pleaded, "Remember, alcohol doesn't always solve your problems."

"Yeah, yeah." Santana waved him off and hailed a taxi the two sliding inside.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

After checking her bags, Quinn rushed to her gate. She had trouble sleeping the night before and uncharacteristically slept through her alarm. She quickly waved to Rachel on her way out of the building almost thankful that for the time being her mind was anxiously focused on if she was going to make it to her flight on time, instead of on Santana. Luckily, she made it just as the passengers where boarding the plane, it finally giving her time to check her phone, surprised to see all the missed calls and text messages sent from mostly Santana and a few from Rachel. As the line slowly moved she brought up her voicemail and listened, not surprised she was getting berated by Santana for not answering her phone, that is until the last message played and suddenly she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

 _I'm gonna miss out on us-_

She stopped as she approached the desk to board the plane, the guy reaching out for her ticket. She looked behind her, thankful there were a few others waiting to board, "Give me a second." She politely smiled leaving the line so she could replay the message over again.

 _I'm scared, Q._

"Of course she's scared." Quinn huffed with a roll of her eyes, almost scolding herself for not really thinking beyond her _own_ feelings. She knew heartbreak, whether it was losing out on love or simply having to let go of her daughter, it was hard. Santana lost a marriage, of course she was scared and confused and all Quinn was doing was running away from her instead of helping her. "I'm such an idiot." she whispered, angry with herself that out of all of this time she had to have her epiphany now.

"Miss?"

Quinn looked up at the boarding agent, holding up her finger to him to indicate she needed one minute, listening to Santana's message again.

"Miss, you're the last person, you need to board the plane."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Santana sluggishly walked down the hall to the apartment, letting out a breathy sigh as she pulled her keys out and unlocked the door, ready to pop some Motrin and wash it down with whatever alcohol was around, hoping it'd help her fall asleep fast tonight. Her emotions were on high and not only where they overwhelming her they were stirring up a master headache.

"I wish I had a fucking tranquilizer." Santana mumbled as she pushed opened the door and then kicked it shut, throwing her stuff on the ground and then flipping on the light before heading to the kitchen.

"Finally."

Santana froze, the familiar voice causing her heart to flutter. She squinted in the direction of the living room, watching as Quinn stood up from the couch.

"Surprise..." Quinn nervously smiled, "They never actually show the part in those romantic movies where the person has to wait for the other person to arrive-" She was unusually chatty all of a sudden, the sight of Santana making her all kinds of anxious now that she was standing in the same room, "I wanted to call you. I wanted to call Rachel, but I thought a surprise would be-"

"What are you doing here?" Santana cut her off, definitely surprised, but also just as equally confused, regretting her choice of words when she watched Quinn's shoulders slump, "I just mean – I thought you were gone."

"I told them I had a family emergency." Quinn answered as she took a measured step forward, "We can thank your mom later." She said, biting her bottom lip with a small amount of pride. "I uh, Santana – " She took a pause to gather some confidence, having planned an entire speech in her head as she waited for Santana to arrive home, but suddenly her mind was blank and she didn't even know where to start.

"Quinn?"

Once Quinn locked eyes with Santana, hearing her name attached to that voice, it gave her a small burst of courage and she remembered why she took such a risk and missed her flight in the first place, so she cleared her throat and tried again, "Santana, I was being unfair to your feelings. We both can be stubborn and guarded, but you've been more honest to me about what you have been feeling than I am or was being with you. And I apologize for that. I know you're scared and that is completely acceptable after everything you've been through. And I'm just running away because you're not ready and it's not the answer I want to accept, and I wish we could have talked about it and then I got your voicemail – " she sighed with a roll of her eyes, "I know I'm rambling, I'm just, I'm sorry."

"We should both be apologizing to each other." Santana quietly stated, watching as Quinn's expression transformed into one of confusion, "We both had chances to talk to each other, but we're both so fucking pig-headed sometimes I don't even know how a relationship between us would even work!" she said as she began to pace and her voice switched to a higher volume, "But then when we're _not_ hiding our feelings or high on our own pride, we work so well together."

"I know, Santana, and I also think it'd be so worth it if we tried. I want this, I want us." Quinn said the tone of her voice almost on the verge of begging, "I thought-I was hoping, well don't you want an us too?"

Santana's shoulders relaxed and she stared off into the distance, her heart pounding and her mind running a mile a minute, but she finally nodded, "Quinn, I am scared as hell to want you. I don't want to go through another heartbreak or feel like that ever again, but here I am fucking wanting you anyway, so much so that I showed up to the stupid wrong airport to tell you."

"You went to the airport?"

"The wrong one." Santana said, slowly turning to face her, her face softening a little bit, realizing that Quinn missed her flight and a job related experience to be here right now just so they could talk, "But it doesn't matter anyway, because you came back."

Quinn nodded, taking a few steps closer to Santana, "Because I'll keep on saying it over and over again, I want you too, Santana." She calmly said, "Obviously," She lowly laughed, coming to a stop in front of her, "And I'm willing to be patient with you. We don't have to jump into anything serious. I still have to go to London anyway, so in hindsight the month apart could work out to our benefit."

"You're still going?" Santana asked, reaching up to rest her hand on Quinn's shoulder.

"I have to. They changed my flight to tomorrow night." Quinn answered, her hand easily coming to rest on Santana's hip. "But we still have time to figure things out together."

"Quinn?" Santana whispered her other hand coming up to rest on her neck, her eyes flickering from her lips and then to her eyes.

"Yeah, San?" Quinn asked, her nervousness starting to fade as Santana and her gravitated closer, Quinn's arms circling around Santana's waist as if they belonged there, the mood changing into an energy Quinn was starting to enjoy.

"Do you love me?"

They were somehow closer now and the fact that Santana hadn't pulled away at all assured Quinn that she could answer honestly, even though she apparently had already confessed her truth once before, high on pain meds, but obviously Santana wanted to hear it from her while she was coherent.

"Yes." Quinn murmured, "I know you're not ready to say it-"

Santana dipped her head down, cutting her off by pressing their lips together, Quinn sucking in a sharp breath of approval and surprise.

It was their first _sober_ kiss. One Quinn had been fantasizing about for a long time and it was even better in real life than anything she could ever dream up in her head. It was their first _real_ kiss she decided, one where she finally truly had the pleasure in feeling just how soft and skillful Santana's lips really were. She tightened her arms around Santana's waist, her lips perfectly meshing with Santana's, while also savoring and appreciating every touch and caress of Santana's hands and fingers. She was being gentle and affectation and Quinn was pretty much melting in her arms.

"You don't leave till tomorrow night?" Santana breathed, her fingers slipping up the back of Quinn's neck.

"Mmhm." Quinn answered, smiling when Santana brought their lips back together, the eagerness of the kiss increasing as Santana began to walk them backwards and pass the threshold of Rachel's bedroom door, Quinn not even protesting the direction they were headed.

"Rachel won't mind." Santana lied in between kisses.

"I wasn't even going to say anything." Quinn smirked as she slipped her hands up the back of Santana's shirt, pulling her impossibly closer as they stumbled towards the bed, Quinn squeaking when the back of her knees hit the mattress, hopping up and making sure to tug Santana with her all while never breaking their kiss.

Santana lightly laughed as she crawled on the bed, her and Quinn moving until Quinn's head hit the pillows, Santana hiding her face in the blonde's neck, "Quinn..." She smiled, pressing a few kisses to her soft skin, and gently resting her weight in between her legs.

"Santana?" Quinn smirked, titling her head to the side, while she ran her hands up and down her back, her fingers pushing her jeans down a little.

"I'm nervous." Santana admitted, lifting her head up to rest her forehead against Quinn's, delivering a few quick pecks, "We're both sober." She playfully teased, but it was the truth and this time they both were acting on more than just lust, it was love which offered an entirely new feeling.

"Me too." Quinn whispered, "But in one of the best ways." She assured and it must have assured Santana too, because soon she was brought back into another tantalizing kiss, one where their tongue's finally met and they happily danced together.

Soon clothes were discarded and tossed in unknown locations of the room, hands and lips were exploring and the only sound that filled the room now were moans and whimpers and their names being called out in complete ecstasy.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"That was better than I remember." Quinn grinned as she stared up at the ceiling, dazed out and high on contentment, catching her breath before shifting to get closer to Santana, pressing a few kisses across her collarbone and then up her neck.

"Who cares about London." Santana said, turning her head to capture Quinn's lips while she curled her arm around Quinn's shoulders, pulling her close, "Stay here and find a new job."

"If only it were that simple." Quinn lightly laughed, resting her head on Santana's shoulder and splaying her hand on Santana's stomach, her eyes falling shut only to be snapped back open when she heard a voice echo throughout the apartment.

"Santana!?"

Quinn and Santana both froze at the sound of Rachel's voice.

"On second thought I think I'll come to London _with_ you." Santana nervously laughed, her eyes shifting to the bedroom door, watching as Rachel entered.

"Santana, are you alright?" Rachel asked her eyes going wide when she finally registered the sight in her bed, "Whoa!" she quickly covered her eyes turning her back to the two of them, "Oh my, for the love of Lady Gaga!"

"Hi, Rachel." Quinn smiled, pulling the duvet up and over them, making sure they were both covered, "Uh sorry we-"

"We're not actually sorry." Santana informed her with a wiggle of her eyebrows and even though Rachel's back was to them, her charming expression was still appreciated by Quinn.

"Well I guess I can stop worrying about you!" Rachel said uneasily, her voice on the verge of squeaking, "Not that I'm not happy for you both, but Quinn you live right across the hall. You have your own bed. But I suppose you were in the moment..." She began to gush, her irritation turning into one of fascination until she turned around to see them again and screamed, "Ah! I'm going to leave you two alone-"

"Feel free to use my apartment... across the hall." Quinn lightly laughed watching as Rachel finally stormed out of the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Santana smiled and relaxed into the pillows again, "Thank god, I wasn't about to move a muscle and I really wants to get my cuddles on."

"Me too." Quinn whispered, resting back into Santana, letting out a breath of satisfaction finally feeling happy and content and where she belong, which was in Santana's arms.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Remember there's a time difference." Quinn said as Santana and her embraced near the security check, "So we'll set up call times and we'll text too. It'll go by fast."

"Quinn, it's only a five hour difference." Santana smiled, squeezing her close and giving her a quick kiss just for the fact that Quinn was being completely adorable about all of this.

"And Santana ..." Quinn apprehensively began, picking at an invisible piece of lint from Santana's shoulder, "While I'm away, that doesn't mean like, I can't and you can't... like..." She rolled her eyes for how ridiculous she sounded. They had only just begun dating, she didn't want to sound possessive right off the start, but at the same time she wanted to set some ground rules.

"Just tell me." Santana said.

"You can't see other people while I'm gone." Quinn finally stated and she tensed when Santana's perfectly waxed eyebrow arched. "That goes for me too!" she quickly added.

"Thanks, Quinn. I know." Santana smiled, "Now give me a proper kiss before you go."

"Sorry, I just had to be sure." Quinn said, reaching up to cup Santana's cheek and pull her in for a slow kiss, ignoring the looks and whistles as people passed them by. When they pulled apart she let out a slow breath, "Fuck, I'm going to miss that while I'm gone."

"Something to look forward too." Santana quietly said, bringing their lips back together one more time.

"Okay, San. I have to go." Quinn whispered, her eyes still closed and their lips still inches apart.

Santana nodded, nuzzling their noses together, giving her one last peck and then pulling away, "Call me when you get there. I don't care what time it is."

"I will." Quinn said, shouldering her bag, "Bye, I lov-" She paused and cleared her throat, "Bye, Santana."

Santana bit back a smile and nodded, "Bye, Q." She watched her head to security and with one last wave she turned and headed out of the airport a new happy wave of emotions spreading all through her body and fluttering in her chest.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Rachel, hurry up! It's almost 10:30. She's goin' be callin' and your goin' be missin' it." Santana called out as she held tightly to her tablet. It already being week two since Quinn had left, but they had managed to keep a pretty healthy schedule of face time chats to around three times a week, Rachel often joining them in the beginning, but then later Santana would slip away across the hall and finish the call alone in Quinn's apartment.

"I'm coming, Santana." Rachel said as she quickly appeared from the bedroom with a smile, "I swear you're like a child on Christmas every time she's about to call." She teased as she took a seat next to her, playfully pinching her cheek, "It's sweet. I haven't seen you this joyful in ages."

"Stop." Santana mumbled, swatting her hand away, but just as quickly her annoyance disappeared and she perked up when Quinn popped up on her screen and she answered, "Hey, Q!"

"Hello, Quinn." Rachel waved.

"Hi guys." Quinn kindly smiled holding up a glass of wine to the two of them.

"Long day?" Santana asked and Quinn rolled her eyes with a nod, "I wish I could be there to-" She paused and looked at Rachel, suddenly shy.

"She wants to cuddle you, but she's too proud to say it out loud." Rachel offered with a bright smile, earning an elbow in the side, "Ow!"

Quinn lightly laughed, "I wish that too, Santana."

The three talked for a while longer, but just as Rachel was about to disappear and leave the two alone, Quinn had decided to cut the conversation short tonight.

"I'm sorry, San. I have a killer headache." Quinn miserably said, "I promise next time we'll end the conversation with a little more excitement."

Santana nodded with understanding, "It's okay, get some rest. Two more weeks!"

"Feel better, Quinn." Rachel said, "Take care of yourself out there."

"I will, I am." Quinn assured, "Okay you two, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Q." Santana said, "I love you." She absentmindedly said and then hung up, it not taking long for her words to catch up to her mind causing her to freeze.

Rachel gasped, reaching out to wrap her fingers around Santana's bicep. "Did you just-"

"I-I-"

Rachel gasped again, squeezing Santana's arm and tugging her close, "You love her!"

"Well yeah!" Santana yelled as she stood up, "But I didn't want to tell her while she's in another fucking country!" she spun around, looking from the tablet and then back to Rachel, "What do I do!?"

"Answer your phone." Rachel slyly smiled as she nodded to it, Quinn's name flashing on screen.

Santana's heart fluttered and she grabbed it, letting out a slow breath as she answered, "He-hey, Qui-Quinn."

"Stop freaking out, Santana." Quinn said her voice calm and cool through the phone, and just by how she was speaking Santana could tell she was smiling, "We'll talk when I get home."

"Okay." Santana whispered, "Goodnight, Quinn."

"Goodnight, Santana."

Santana let out a very long breath, melting back down onto the couch, her head falling to Rachel's shoulder, "I think I just died. I'm ghost now."

Rachel smiled and patted her cheek, "A ghost that's in love."

"Shut up, Rachel."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"I think I see her." Santana said as she bounced in her spot next to Rachel, "She looks taller, did she get taller?"

"No, because just like the last blonde we saw that isn't Quinn." Rachel declared as she looked through the crowds of people swarming the airport. "My goodness, Santana, would you settle down."

"Okay, okay that's her." Santana whispered her eyes finally landing on Quinn, the two locking eyes, Santana smiling when the blonde seemed to pick up her pace.

"Well go run to her." Rachel smirked, playfully swatting her back, encouraging her to greet her halfway and Santana nodded and took off, the petite brunette grinning at the sight of her two best friends embracing in the middle of the airport.

"I missed you." Santana shyly said, her lips pressed to Quinn's ear, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"I missed you too, San." Quinn smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek a sudden energy filling her body, one she couldn't quite describe, but it was definitely a good feeling, because now that she was back, things between her and Santana were about to get very real and it was all she could think about the entire month she was gone away.

"Welcome back, Quinn." Rachel cheerfully spoke from behind them, opening her arms and pulling Quinn in after the new couple pulled apart, "We've all missed you."

"I've missed you all too." Quinn smiled, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl.

"Come on, let's go home." Santana said as she reached down to grab Quinn's carry on and the handle to her luggage on wheels.

Quinn looked over her shoulder, offering Santana a look of approval, falling in step next to her and taking her hand. It was the smallest act of affection, their fingers being laced together, but the fact that Quinn initiated it sent a very pleasant chill up Santana's spine, even causing a wave of satisfying dizziness to wash over her.

"Oh, I love this." Rachel beamed with enjoyment, clasping her hands together as she walked next to them.

"I swear she's going to start drooling." Santana teased, gently tugging Quinn's hand.

"Can't say I blame her." Quinn caringly replied as she brought the back of Santana's hand up to her lips, pressing a small kiss to it, causing Santana to bashfully smile.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So let me guess, we're celebrating tonight?" Quinn asked as she stepped off the elevator and dug through her purse to look for her keys, remembering how Kurt and Blaine arranged a going away party for when she left, she could only imagine there would be a welcome home one too.

"Not tonight." Rachel smiled as they came to a stop in front of their doors, "Well not with the whole group anyway."

"Just us." Santana grinned swiping the keys from Quinn and unlocking the blonde's apartment.

"Have fun!" Rachel cheered and then disappeared into her own apartment.

Quinn followed Santana into the apartment, her eyes going wide at the sight in front of her.

"I was going to light candles, but obviously I couldn't leave them burning while I was gone." Santana explained.

Quinn gasped, her eyes following the trail of rose petals that led to her bedroom door. She silently put her stuff down and followed it, only to find a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket, and more petals scattered on her bed, with a bouquet of roses sitting neatly on her nightstand.

"Santana, no one's ever-" She paused and turned around, walking over to wrap her arms around her neck, "I don't even know what to say."

Santana smiled, "You like it?"

"I love it." Quinn whispered, leaning in to press their lips together.

"Quinn?" Santana mumbled against her lips.

"Yeah?"

Santana pulled her close as they indulged in a long kiss this time, it insistently long and wonderful, before Santana pulled away to catch her breath and to finally share what was on her mind, "I love you."

Quinn could have sworn her heart was about to leave her chest, but the butterflies in her stomach must have flown up and kept it in place and now all she had to worry about was if she was going to float away on cloud 9 or something, but then again the arms that were securely wrapped around her waist would surely keep her in place.

Her hand rested on the underside of Santana's jaw, her thumb brushing lightly back and forth against her cheek, their eyes locking and a new wave of safety and security wrapping all around them.

"I love you too, Santana."

* * *

 _A few weeks later..._

"San?"

"Yeah?"

There was a long pause and Santana finally lifted her head off of Quinn's shoulder, the two tangled together on the couch, zoned out watching a movie. Or apparently Santana was about to find out that Quinn _wasn't_ really watching and was doing a whole lot of thinking instead.

"Q, what?"

Quinn pursed her lips and turned to her, "We have to tell Brittany we're a couple now."

* * *

 **So, this chapter _was_ going to be the last, but I decided to carry on for a few more with them being a couple since I made you guys wait so long for them to get together. And sorry if you were disappointed with the "sex scene" I'm still not comfortable writing them. Although! I might try and leave that comfort zone and write a Quinntana rated M one shot in the very near future. Soooo. look out for that, Mmkay? **

**Thanks for reviewing/favoring/following/reading and all that fun stuff! :)**

 **tbc...**


	12. Chapter 12

**I had help with some of this chapter. So when you're reading if it goes from meh writing (me), to great writing, you can thank _images-in-words_ for that! lol I needed help with Mr. Schue and Brittany. **

**Also someone asked what the other version of the last chapter was, since I had mentioned I had two: I had Santana fly to London to see Quinn. But after thinking about it, I didn't want Santana to chase after Quinn. The idea of Quinn putting her career second in favour of taking a risk to be with Santana sounded better to me. Especially after Santana had been through a divorce.**

 **Anyway! Lot's of emotions in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it and I hope it came out well!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Santana froze, the words dangerously echoing all around her mind, it causing a sudden headache, _"We have to tell Brittany we're a couple now."_ She slowly turned to look at Quinn, who was staring back at her, noticeably nervous, and she should have been, "No."

Quinn let out a small breath accompanied by a roll of her eyes, "San."

"I don't even talk to her anymore!" Santana shouted as she jumped up from the couch, "And I'm not about to purposely call her up and tell her about my love life!" she then pointed a finger in her face, her voice full of accusation, "Do you talk to her?"

"No, not since the divorce." Quinn quietly replied.

"Then why should we have to tell her?"

"I don't know, because we used to be the Unholy Trinity back in high school." Quinn explained, "It was the three of us for a long time. Our friendship was really shitty in high school, but for a time I called you two my best friends."

"Quinn, don't feel bad for her." Santana said, "It was the three of us for a part of high school, not the entire time. We don't owe her anything. And remember she broke my heart, remember? It'd be different if she was still around and I cheated on her with you."

Quinn sat back and thought about it for a few minutes. Santana was definitely right. She didn't know why she felt like she owed Brittany anything, especially since she broke Santana's heart into a million pieces, but she figured it was because Brittany was one of the very few who never caused her any drama back in high school. Or maybe it was the petty HBIC inside of her that wanted to show Brittany that Quinn had what used to be hers, only this time, Quinn was going to give Santana the kind of love she deserved.

Santana watched as the wheels turned in Quinn's head, worried about what kind of argument she was about to throw back at her, also nervous because this would be their first fight.

"You're right." Quinn finally said.

"That's bullshit, Quinn!" Santana yelled back right away, but just as quickly she relaxed and Quinn's words finally caught up to her, "Wait, what?"

Quinn couldn't help but smirk as she looked up at her, "I said you're right. My reasons are childish." She admitted.

Santana's face altered into one of interest, so she sauntered over and sat on the coffee table in front of her, "Childish? Do explain."

Quinn lightly laughed as she reached out to take Santana's hands in hers, giving them a squeeze as she began to explain herself, "Although yes, a part of me feels like I should tell her I'm dating her ex-wife. The other part of me wants to flaunt it all over and make it known that you've moved on and is with someone who knows how to love you just the same."

"Aw, Quinn, that's so romantic." Santana sweetly replied showing off all her pearly whites with a wide pleasant grin. "But whatever made you think of such a ridiculous idea in the first place."

Quinn leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Santana's lips, wondering if this next part was going to upset her as well, "Kurt told me she's still in Lima and I have to go back to Lima next weekend, so the idea came to me when I figured there could be a chance of me running into her."

"Us."

"What?"

"Us running into her." Santana clarified.

Quinn let out a surprised happy gasp, her thumb brushing lightly over the top of Santana's hand, "You want to come with me?"

"Yes." Santana answered, "I haven't seen Mami and Papi in so long. We can stay at my parent's house instead of you wasting money on some trashy Lima hotel." She said as she walked her fingers up Quinn's thigh, "Plus, they just bought a new hot tub."

Quinn bit her bottom lip as she watched Santana's eyes sparkle with lust, her own eyes probably twinkling just as brightly as she pictured Santana wet in a bikini.

"Okay." Quinn distractedly said, tugging Santana close until she was sitting astride her lap on the couch.

"I was scared we were about to have our first fight, but I like where this is headed." Santana said, her voice hushed as she leaned down to brush her lips against Quinn's.

"Me too." Quinn mumbled the two teasing each other, their lips mere inches apart, neither one giving into a kiss just yet, both enjoying the playfulness, but just as equally taking pleasure in the closeness. Quinn smiled when Santana rolled her hips against her, not one to give in to defeat so easily, she pulled her head back slightly, moaning when Santana repeated the action, only harder this time, while her fingers tangled in the back of her hair. "Fuck." Quinn whispered and finally leaned forward to connect their lips, Santana winning this round.

"Before we delve deeper, there's something I want to bring up." Santana softly said, her body still pressed into Quinn's, keeping their foreheads together.

"Now?" Quinn husked, her hands keenly close to coming to rest on Santana's ass, her eyes locked on her delicious plump lips wanting another taste.

Santana pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then hesitantly pulled back, but stayed in Quinn's lap, smiling when the blonde whimpered due to lost contact. She slid her hands to Quinn's shoulder, brushing her thumbs back and forth and then cleared her throat, her face getting kind of serious.

"San, what?" Quinn asked wrapping her arms around Santana's waist to keep her in place, the look on her face worrying her. It was rare for Santana to stop a "mack" session.

"Quinn, I don't-" She sighed and rolled her eyes, "I don't like when you don't tell me things."

Quinn's forehead scrunched up with confusion, her shoulders slumping, "I tell you things."

"When did you decide you were going back to visit Lima?"

"Last week..." Quinn trailed and then nodded with understanding.

"I know you're used to being Miss Independent, but even when we were just friends you didn't come to me a lot, and I know there was a lot of feelings involved so you kind of shut yourself out, but I'm your girlfriend now." Santana explained, "So can you keep me in the loop, please?"

Quinn let out a small breath and nodded, "I'm sorry, Santana. I-I didn't..." She struggled to find the words and finally just settled on keeping it simple, "Yes, I'll start keeping you in the loop."

Santana smirked and leaned forward, "Thank you." She whispered, "Now where were we?" She asked as she leaned down to press her lips to Quinn's neck.

Quinn's eyes fluttered shut and she tilted her head to the side, "Right about here, mmhm."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Hija!" Mrs. Lopez smiled brightly as she watched Santana and Quinn emerge from the baggage claim, opening her arms and waving Santana in so she could give her a tight hug, "How was your flight?"

"Ugh, los pilotos incluso saben como volar?" Santana muttered with an eye roll.

Quinn couldn't help but smirk with a shake of her head, "Is she still complaining about the flight?"

Mrs. Lopez moved on to pull Quinn into a hug, "You know my Sanni, can't handle turbulence."

"Where's papi?" Santana asked.

"He's at home preparing dinner." Mrs. Lopez smiled as she wrapped an arm around Quinn's shoulders and started walking towards the exit, "How's work, Quinn? Did they ever figure out our family emergency?" she slyly smirked.

Santana gave the two of them a look of curiosity, "Yeah, just what was that about?"

"Something I know that helped put a smile back on your face." Mrs. Lopez said while reaching out to grab Santana's chin, giving it a playful squeeze.

"They are none the wiser." Quinn assured.

"Hold up!" Santana said picking up her pace and coming to a stop in front of them, not caring that a few random people had to quickly swerve out of the way. "You knew Quinn had feelings for me and you didn't tell me!?"

Mrs. Lopez pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowing, "I wasn't positive at first. Quinn would at times slip up and mention she was into someone, but she never once said it was you. I always knew she could do better than Ava-"

"Amen." Quinn mumbled and her and Mrs. Lopez high fived and it just about caused Santana's eyes to bulged out.

"Not until she called me just before her flight did she finally confess." Mrs. Lopez explained looping her arm through Quinn's and pulling her a little closer.

"You two talk!?" Santana asked and then waved her hand back and forth in front of them, "No, no, no...I'm not down with this."

"With what exactly, Santana?" Quinn innocently asked both her and Mrs. Lopez titling their heads to the side.

"You two talking...without me around!" Santana shouted.

"Get used to it." Quinn winked as her and Mrs. Lopez began walking again, leaving a gasping Santana standing alone.

Almost two hours later, Mr. And Mrs. Lopez, Quinn and Santana were seated around the dinner table, a lovely steak dinner prepared and served and sitting in front of them.

"Everything looks wonderful." Quinn politely smiled as she inhaled through her nose, her mouth already watering and ready, "We need to visit more often."

"Papi is a pro on the grill." Santana said already slicing into her medium well meat, licking her lips and moaning quietly when the steak hit her tongue, savoring every second of it.

"Thank you, ladies." Mr. Lopez smiled as he too began cutting into his own steak, "So, Quinn, your mother moved out of state?" He asked in hopes of making light conversation.

Quinn nodded as she chewed and swallowed, wiping her mouth clean before answering, " _Is_ moving. She asked me to come and go through my stuff, so she would have an easier time moving. That's why I came for the visit."

Mr. And Mrs. Lopez both looked at each other, confused and now curious.

"Honey, she is already gone." Mrs. Lopez stated.

Quinn froze and as if on cue there was a crack of thunder and the down pour of rain could be heard, the weather pretty much replicating the emotions Quinn was suddenly feeling.

"Wha-what? No she didn't." Quinn whispered, "She's moving next week."

"There were moving trucks and-"

"I'm sorry, I need to excuse myself." Quinn interrupted and stood up quickly heading to the bathroom, the home cooked meal not even a thought on her mind anymore.

Santana watched Quinn go, setting her own fork and knife down suddenly not hungry anymore. She waited a few minutes and then stood up heading in the direction Quinn had gone.

"Quinn?" Santana softly knocked on the bathroom door. "Quinn?"

"I'm fine." Quinn lied looking at herself in the mirror and rolling her eyes, who exactly was she fooling?

"Let me in." Santana pleaded about to knock again, but surprisingly the door opened and a teary eyed Quinn stood in front of her.

"Can we go to the house so I can see for myself?" Quinn asked her throat hoarse and burning as she tried her best to control her emotions.

Santana nodded, "Whatever you want."

"We'll put your plates in the oven. You two can eat when you come back." Mrs. Lopez said from the end of the hallway, holding up her car keys.

Thirty minutes later, Santana pulled the black SUV into what used to be Judy's house, Quinn gasping with bafflement at the sight on the porch.

"That's my stuff." Quinn mumbled climbing out of the car before Santana even had a chance to put it into park, the rain not even bothering her as she ran to the partially covered porch, all of what seemed to be her belongings in cardboard boxes, which was doing nothing to protect her things. She opened a box, rummaging through it, most of the things wet, soggy and ruined.

"Let's pack it up and go through it back at the house." Santana said standing behind Quinn with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to shield herself from the wind and rain.

"What's the point?" Quinn muttered her mood cold and broody.

Santana crouched down beside her, reaching out to put an arm around her shoulders, but Quinn scrunched it off, "Quinn, some of it could be salvageable."

"Maybe I don't want to fucking salvage it." Quinn said as she slowly stood up, kicking a box and turning to face Santana, "Maybe these are memories I should finally let go of."

"Quinn, you don't mean that."

"What do you know?" Quinn asked brushing passed her, the tears on her face mixing with the rain beating down on them, "Your family loves you." she quietly said as she headed back to the car, leaving her stuff behind.

Santana stood there watching Quinn climb back into the car. She looked from the few boxes on the porch and then back to the SUV, contemplating and then finally she grabbed Quinn's stuff and loaded it into the trunk of the vehicle. It took her a few trips, but after she was finished she climbed back in behind the wheel and looked at her dazed out girlfriend.

"Let's go." Quinn demanded in a low voice, finding the water droplets on the window much more interesting than whatever Santana was going to say. She didn't want to talk right now. All she wanted was a hot shower and a glass of wine and a warm bed.

"Quinn."

"Santana."

Santana let out a breath, brushing some of the damp hair out of her face and then finally nodded, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. She was heartbroken for Quinn, she couldn't even imagine would Quinn was feeling and she just hoped that Quinn wouldn't shut her out after all of this.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"What happened?" Mrs. Lopez asked as Quinn breezed by her and went inside the house without a word, finding Santana in the garage and unloading the SUV.

"You were right." Santana said placing the boxes on the ground, "Judy is gone and left all of Quinn's stuff out in the rain."

Mrs. Lopez gasped and walked over to examine the stuff, some of the cardboard ripping off as she opened one of the boxes, "Nunca en mi vida!" she began and Santana looked up at her and nodded. "Que clase de madre?!"

"Una perra!" Santana shouted.

"Perra, perra!" Mrs. Lopez nodded.

"Ladies, what is going on in here?" Mr. Lopez asked appearing in the garage doorway with his arms folded.

Mrs. Lopez stood up and turned to look at him, her hands flailing about, "El nervio de algunas personas!" she let out an aggravated breath, "That girl does not deserve this!"

Mr. Lopez walked over taking a look at everything, "Maybe we can save some of this."

"And then mami needs to call Mrs. Fabray up and have a few words." Santana stated.

"Tendre mas que unas pocas palabras!" Mrs. Lopeze shouted.

"Not now." Mr. Lopez said as he grabbed a few tables and set them up in the three car garage, "Quinn needs us calm. Quinn needs a family right now."

Santana let out a slow breath and tilted her head to the side. As much as she wanted to give Judy a piece of her mind for what she had done, her dad was right, "You're right, papi." She quietly said as she helped him move the boxes to the tables and the three of them started sorting through all of the stuff, laying it out in hopes that most of it would dry overnight.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn groggily headed down to the kitchen the next day, following the smell of coffee, it temporarily brightening her morning until her mind began to clear and she was reminded of what happened the night before.

"Good morning, sweetie." Mrs. Lopez greeted her with a knowing and sad expression, coming around the granite island in the kitchen to reach out and take her hands, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Quinn shrugged, but she soon caved when Mrs. Lopez gave her a meaningful look accompanied by a squeeze of her hands, letting her know she was safe to share her thoughts. "Okay, I'm hurt, sad and most importantly shocked. I didn't think...well I thought... I guess I feel stupid to think my own mother would wait because maybe she wanted to see me. Plus that was my stuff, those were my memories she left carelessly out on the porch like that." she whispered, quickly reaching up to swipe at a stray tear. "And don't even get me started on my dad who I haven't heard from since high school."

"Come here." Mrs. Lopez said and opened her arms pulling Quinn into them, "You have us. You always have. Even before you and Santana became a couple you always belonged to this family, you hear me?"

Quinn pursed her lips and only nodded, wrapping her arms around the older woman a little tighter, needing the comfort and craving the motherly embrace. She rested her head on her shoulder, remembering back in high even through Santana and her messed up friendship, Mrs. Lopez always made sure to check up on her and it only deepened once Quinn's parents split up and she moved away for university. Mrs. Lopez checked in with Quinn more than Judy ever did and now that Santana and her were officially a couple their bond was only getting stronger and it seemed like Quinn was finally getting the kind of mother she had always wanted and deserved.

"We love you." Mrs. Lopez said and suddenly Quinn's body began to tremble with sobs, so Mrs. Lopez simply held her and offered her nothing but love and support.

When Quinn was able to get her emotions under control she pulled away, smiling and wiping at her eyes, "Thank you."

"Always." Mrs. Lopez smiled, "You're part of our familia."

Quinn let out a slow breath and nodded, "Where's Santana? I feel bad about last night."

"You have nothing to feel bad about." Mrs. Lopez assured and looped her arm through Quinn's guiding her to the garage, "She's been up all night."

"She was?" Quinn questioned and then opened the door to the garage, finding Santana yawning next to Mr. Lopez who was nodding approvingly at all of Quinn mostly dried stuff.

"You're awake." Santana smiled, "We kind of went through your stuff, but it was to save it. Well some of it."

"You guys did this for me?" Quinn asked with disbelief slowly walking over to check it all out. There were some childhood memories, her high school diploma which was a little wrinkled but Quinn figured if she put it in a frame no one would notice the difference and a bunch of other items she was happy made it through the rain. "I have no words." She murmured as her fingers gently ran over her belongings, ones she was ready to throw away only last night, something she was sure she would have regretted, but Santana was there to intervene and she was so happy she did.

"We can have some of your dresses dry cleaned." Santana mused looking at some of them hanging from a rack, her fingers brushing over them, "I always loved them on you."

"Thank you, Santana." Quinn said coming up and wrapping her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.

"You're welcome." Santana said pressing a kiss to Quinn's temple, her arms wrapping protectively around her waist, mouthing a _'thank you'_ to both of her parents who watched with joyful smiles.

"Come on, let's leave them alone." Mrs. Lopez suggested, nudging her husband in the side, the two heading back in the house.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Okay, your father and I are going to a fancy fundraiser. We won't be back until tomorrow." Mrs. Lopez said as she fiddled with her hand bag, making sure she had everything. "I left lasagna in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up."

"Thank you, mami." Santana grinned walking over and pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Have fun." She added moving on to give her father a kiss on the cheek as well.

"Behave." Mr. Lopez teased while pointing a finger in Santana's face, "I measured the alcohol." He winked.

"Uh huh. Bye." Santana waved with an innocent smile.

"Have fun." Quinn said, giving them both a hug and finally the two were out the door and pulling out of the driveway.

An hour later, Santana had turned the hot tub on and the two girls were in bikinis and mixing drinks in the kitchen.

"San?" Quinn questioned as she watched her girlfriend mix a drink, pouring more than a shot of vodka in the glass, "Santana!?"

Santana smirked and looked over her shoulder, filling a second glass with the same amount, "Problem?"

"Come on, are you trying to get me drunk?" Quinn smirked as she came to stand next to her, "Alcohol plus the hot tub, not a good combination."

"Perfect combination." Santana stated as she grabbed some cranberry juice and added it in both glasses, "You get kinky when you're buzzed. I want to bring kinky Quinn out."

"Shut up, San." Quinn said as she walked over and playfully shoved at her arm, biting back a knowing smile and also thankful for the change in atmosphere, it going from gloomy to light-hearted ever since the morning.

"See you're not even denying it." Santana smiled as she took a sip of her drink, nodding with satisfaction, "Have you ever been on a mechanical bull?"

"Yeah, why?" Quinn asked with a scrunched up face of curiosity, reaching out to take a drink from her glass.

"That's how I want you to be treatin' my face tonight." Santana winked and spun around to head towards the back door, "Drink up!"

The liquid that was at first sliding down her throat soothingly was suddenly being choked back up due to Santana vulgar words, it taking her a moment to catch her breath, but it was just as quickly taken away again when Santana dropped the robe she had on and was now in nothing but a very skimpy black bikini.

Once she composed herself, Quinn cleared her throat and followed the path out to the back yard, finding Santana already comfortably soaking in the bubbly hot water. Quinn walked over setting her drink down so she could undo the robe she was wearing, allowing it to pool to the ground by her feet, permitting Santana to ogle her while she took a long drink, not even wincing as it went down.

"te ves bien." Santana purred with a lick of her lips, "Entra aqui."

Quinn smiled and set her glass down, slowly climbing inside the hot tub, her yellow bikini now just as wet as Santana's black one.

Quinn moaned as she relaxed, her head falling back to rest against the edge, her eyes fluttering shut, "This is just what I needed."

Santana sipped her drink, silently watching Quinn as the blonde got comfortable in the hot water, but she could see the crease in her forehead a subtle clue that told her she wasn't as peaceful as she let on. Santana was there when Quinn found all her old childhood and high school memories abandoned and left in the cruel weather to be destroyed. Right now Quinn was anything but relaxed.

"Quinn?" Santana quietly asked taking another much longer drink this time, "Talk to me."

Quinn opened one eye and then the other, lifting her head up, wearing a playful smile, "What, like dirty talk?"

Santana bit back a smirk and even though she wanted to have fun and get her hot tub mack on, she also wanted to be there for her girlfriend, so she mustered up her willpower and shook her head. "No, I want you to be honest with me." She seriously said and pushed off the spot where she was sitting and came to sit in the place next to Quinn, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, that kind of talk." Quinn whispered and looked down to gaze through the water, her fingers fidgeting together. She put up walls when she left Lima. She learned that it was much easier to be there for people instead of trusting other's with her own emotions. Her parents just proved that to be right on her visit back to one of the places she hated the most. This was Santana though after all, and Santana trusted her and confirmed to be more than dependable when it came to their feelings and emotions, but for some reason she still found herself having a hard time opening up and would much rather stay hidden, something she had become a professional at.

"Hey." Santana said reaching out to gently cup her check, guiding her face so they were locking eyes, "I'm here for you, Quinn. I promise."

"I know." Quinn said with a shaky breath, starting to feel herself calm some when she felt Santana reach for her hand beneath the water, giving it a supportive squeeze, "I'm okay, but I guess I'm just sad." She finally admitted. "A part of me was looking forward to seeing my mom. I haven't talked to her in ages and I thought maybe she'd be excited to see me too, but instead she left all my stuff out on the porch of the house she sold and didn't even wait to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry, Quinn." Santana genuinely said, "And I know it's not the same, but you have me now and my family. You and my mom are best friends." She teased trying to lighten the mood and it seemed to kind of work, because the corner of Quinn's mouth tugged into a small smile.

Quinn nodded, scooting closer so she could lay her head on Santana's shoulder, "I'm glad you came back here with me."

"Me too." Santana said lifting her arm to wrap it around Quinn's shoulders, the fun night Santana had hoped for, turning into one of comfort, but with Quinn in her arms, she wouldn't have it any other way.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"San, I need caffeine, now." Quinn mumbled from the passenger seat of the SUV, bringing her hand up to her head and rubbing her temple.

Santana's eyes widened as she accelerated, "I'm dating a caffeine junkie."

"Mmm." Was Quinn's only response, feeling a headache start to brew, not sure if it was due to the lack of caffeine, or if it was because she was still dwelling on the drama surrounding her mom and her personal belongings.

Santana sped through town, not even using a signal as she pulled into a parking space in front of the Lima Bean. Quinn was out of the car before Santana even shut it off, but surprisingly waited for her girlfriend before they entered the small coffee place, the two placing their order and deciding to drink it inside since it seemed to be quiet.

"What do you think Mr. Schue will say about us?" Santana pondered out loud as she took a long drink of her iced coffee, the two deciding to visit their old high school since they were back in town anyway and still had one more day before they went back to New York.

Quinn took a well deserved drink of her hot beverage, moaning when the liquid hit her tongue, savoring the taste before she answered, "I think he'll be surprised at first, for sure. Besides everyone who already knows, I think a lot of people are going to be surprised."

"Quinn? Santana?"

The two of them both froze when the familiar voice registered with them not sure how either of them didn't notice the tall blonde enter the coffee shop in the first place, but here they were and the first thing Quinn could think to do was reach out and latch onto Santana's hand, digging her nails into the tan skin.

Santana looked up at her ex-lover, her heart pounding a mile a minute. It was almost two years since they last spoke or saw each other, a moment she had been dreading for a while now, "Brittany?"

"Hey-hey, Britt." Quinn nervously smiled.

"Hi, Quinn," Brittany said, giving her a small finger wave. It was one of those endearing gestures that had bonded them together all those years ago, back when the three of them had strutted through the halls of McKinley High as the Unholy Trinity. "It's good to see you."

 _I wish I could say the same_ , Quinn thought, but didn't say. "Yeah...you too."

Santana blinked through the fog of remembered pain that descended upon her thoughts, suddenly grateful for the iced coffee in her hand. She took a sip of it, letting the beverage cool her dry throat, and then managed to find her voice. "What are you doing here, Britt?"

"Coffee." Brittany quietly answered as she nodded over her shoulder, "I didn't know you two were in town."

"Not something I thought I had to share with an ex-wife." Santana replied, unable to keep all of the bitterness from her tone. She recoiled internally at the flash of hurt on Brittany's face, and the discomfort that registered on Quinn's. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, no." Brittany blew a breath of air upwards to clear a lock of her pale blonde hair away from her eye. "You have every right to still be upset, Santana. I...I know that what I did was wrong. I know that I hurt you. I also know that...that I tried to be what you needed. I really did. I just - I just couldn't do it."

Santana sighed, the momentary anger she'd felt now replaced by sadness at seeing Brittany obviously distraught. The old reflexes kick in, the desire to console, to soothe, to reassure. "Britt...I -"

The tall blonde cuts her ex-lover off with a sharp gesture, closing her eyes and taking in a sharp breath. "No, San. I - I need to say this. We had a great thing once. We really did. But I couldn't be what you wanted. What you needed. And I'll always wish that I could have been, and I'll always love you. And I hope one day you can find someone who can be exactly what you need and what you deserve."

Quinn's nails dig further into Santana's skin, anxious and tense. She was okay with the idea of telling Brittany the news of them a week ago, but now that the moment was here and had seemed to fall upon them unexpectedly it caused her insides to melt. Not to mention the way Santana had gone back to her old ways of wanting to comfort her old best friend, it was something she wasn't prepared for and it was sending her emotions through the roof.

"Look, Britt." Santana slowly began, not realizing that she and Quinn had totally flipped and now that the moment was upon them, she wasn't scared about telling Brittany the news, she was ready, "Quinn and I – " She paused and a small smile found her lips as she looked to Quinn and then back up to Brittany, "I did find someone to be what I need and what I deserve." She reached out and placed her hand over the one Quinn had a death grip on and brought them up onto the table, "It's Quinn."

Brittany paused and watched the two of them, wondering at first if they were joking, but she could hear the genuineness in Santana's voice and even though they hadn't spoken in almost two years, she could tell by the look on Santana's face that she was serious, even Quinn who was radiating some type of anxious energy also showed nothing but sincerity. They used to be the Unholy Trinity after all, if anyone knew how to read them and see through their masks, it was Brittany.

"I should have known." Brittany said, her voice monotone, but then she was smiling, "You two were always too stubborn to know what was good for you, which turned out to be each other."

Quinn let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding; her body relaxing and her own smile matching Brittany's.

Santana gave Quinn's hand a squeeze and then let go so she could stand up, coming face to face with Brittany, "I guess we always worked better as just best friends."

Brittany nodded, surprise tears stinging her eyes, "I'm sorry I ruined that too."

"Maybe with time." Santana quietly said and then pulled her into a hug, a sudden feeling of relief washing over her. She didn't let the hug last long though and pulled away, "It was good to see you, Britt."

"You too, Santana." Brittany said taking a step back.

"I'll be in the car." Santana said reaching over to grab her drink, offering Quinn a small smile and giving Brittany one last wave. She didn't realize how big she was smiling until she reached the car, her reflection giving her away. She was happy and she could finally say she moved on. She was thankful she came back to Lima for a few days, because she finally received closure and was ready to move forward with Quinn.

Back inside the Lima Bean, Quinn quickly gathered her stuff and stood up, giving Brittany a quick hug.

"Quinn?" Brittany began, waiting until they were making eye contact, "Is Santana happy?"

Quinn paused for only a few seconds and then nodded, "I'd like to think so, yes."

"And you?" Brittany asked with a squint of her eyes.

"I am, yes." Quinn smiled.

Brittany nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself, "That's all I ever wanted for the both of you, for all my friends."

"We know, Britt." Quinn assured. "And are you happy?"

Brittany slowly backed up, making her way to the counter, "Now that I know you two are, yes." She nodded and the twirled around and skipped to the counter.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"It's kind of eerie being back here." Quinn quietly mused to herself as her and Santana walked down the hallways of McKinley High on the familiar path to the choir room.

"Feels like just yesterday." Santana said as she peered into the classrooms full of students, not missing the school part, but she definitely missed the after school Glee memories of it all. "I kind of miss it sometimes."

Quinn shrugged as she looped her arm through Santana's, her own memories playing in her mind, some good, most of them upsetting, letting out a breathy sigh as she replied, "Bittersweet I suppose."

Santana glanced at her through the corner of her eye, giving her hand a squeeze. She knew Quinn had a hard time in Lima, and coming back here had seemed to completely throw Quinn off and Santana really wished she knew the right words to say to make her feel better, so she pulled her to a stop and took her hands in hers.

"We can go, Q." Santana softly said, "We can change our tickets and fly back to New York tonight."

Quinn shook her head, "No, it's okay, San." She weakly smiled, "I'm excited to see Mr. Schue. He was actually one of my favourite teachers. Plus, I already told him we were coming."

"Oh yeah, you're weird and text him." Santana teased, "Just like Rachel. A bunch of teacher's pets."

"Oh stop, he was your favourite too." Quinn said tugging her so they were walking again, the two finally making it to the choir room. "Ready to return to the past?"

"Let's go." Santana smirked, grabbing the doorknob and barging inside the room.

Mr. Schuester was sitting at the piano, sheet music in front of him and a pencil resting between his teeth.

"Sorting through your lame music?" Santana teased, offering him a giant grin as she happily walked towards him.

Mr. Schuester looked up, the pencil dropping from his mouth and landing in his hand, a smile gracing his features, "Girls." He said and stood up, accepting Santana's hug, "It's so nice to see you."

Quinn slowly entered the room behind Santana, suddenly timid, waiting until Mr. Schuester pulled away from Santana and walked over to Quinn, the two waiting a few seconds before Quinn was the first to initiate the embrace.

"How are you doing, Quinn?"

Quinn shrugged, her hug longer than Santana's, needing it more. Mr. Schuester always had a way of making her feel comforted, and so she gave him an extra squeeze before pulling away.

"Thank you for coming to visit." Mr. Schuester smiled, "What's going on? Update me."

"Listen, I'm just going to lay it out there." Santana began as she walked over to one of the plastic chairs, sitting in the front row, the feel of it giving her a pleasant warm sentiment, but before she blurted out the news she looked over to Quinn to make sure she had permission and the blonde simply nodded, "Q and I are a thing now."

Quinn smiled and walked over, taking the spot next to Santana, reaching out to grab her hand, "More than _just_ a thing. It's been almost two months."

"Rachel said you two had news." Mr. Schuester smiled and grabbed a chair and sat in front of them, "I'm a little thrown off by it." He said watching as Quinn's face kind of faltered.

Seeing the forlorn look on Quinn's pretty face, Mr. Schuester quickly amended, "But not in a bad way. I'm...I'm actually very happy for the two of you." Hazel eyes swirling with emotion looked up at him, and the teacher instantly recognized the need he saw there. "It makes sense, really. You're both strong and tough and really, really smart - but you both have tender sides as well. No one understands you as well as Santana can, just as no one understands her as well you do. So if you want my opinion...I think you being together is really great. I couldn't be happier for the two of you."

"Really?" Quinn asked, eyes bright and shiny with unshed tears. "That...that means a lot, coming from you." Her voice shook with a mixture of relief and happiness. Very few people - even most of the Glee Club - knew just how much Will Schuester meant to her, how important he had been in her life. He was everything her own father had never been, could never be, and she was never more grateful for that fact than right now, at this very moment. Coming back to Lima was definitely bittersweet, but in doing so, Quinn gained a mother in the form of Mrs. Lopez and was reminded just how much of a father figure Mr. Schuester was to her.

"Oh, Quinn," he sighed. "I look at you, and it's like...like every promise I ever saw in you has been fulfilled, ten times over. I'm proud of all of you - I always have been - but you, especially. After everything you struggled with, everything you went through...you were always so much stronger than you knew. The one thing you were missing was someone who could love you the way you deserved to be loved, who would allow you to love them back with all that strength in return. That's hard to find. I know, believe me," he joked, a not so thinly veiled reference to his own colorful past with relationships.

"Mr. Schue...I...I know I've told you this before, but -" she swallowed a huge breath of air, expelled it slowly, trying to find her calm, her center, in the midst of all the emotions flooding through her. "I'm so grateful for everything you did for me. You were always there for me no matter what. You always saw the best in me, believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. You told me that I was a good person, so many times, that I was finally able to come to believe it myself. You made me feel like I was worth something. If it hadn't been for you..." She turned to let her girlfriend see the tears freely flowing down her cheeks in small rivers, everything she was trying to hold back, between what her mother had done to seeing Brittany which stirred up an uneasiness inside of her, she finally just let it all out,. "For Santana - I don't know who I would have become, or where I would be now."

The teacher smiled, tears welling in his own eyes, touched by his former student's words. "Honestly, Quinn? I think you would have ended up right where you are. You would have become exactly who we all knew you really were. Who you are. And I am so very, very proud of you."

It was everything she could have hoped for, and everything she needed. Her heart, and her self-esteem, soared, and she launched herself into Mr. Schue's arms, weeping happy tears into the man's sweater vest.

"Thank you," she murmured into his chest. Her own family had failed her, making her feel like she lost a sense of belonging, but Will Schuester, Santana and the Glee Club never had. To her, that made them her real family. Her true family and just like Santana back at the coffee shop, here in the choir room in Mr. Schuster's arms she too was hit with her own wave of closure and she was ready to put the past behind her and move forward and finally share her life with the one she loved, Santana.

* * *

 **What else would you like to see happen in this story?**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After their bittersweet time back in Lima, Quinn and Santana were finally back in New York, fresh off the plane and walking up to their apartments, dropping their duffel bags out in the hallway and coming together for an embrace.

"I have a proposition to make." Quinn slyly smiled, her tone full of mirth, her expression only brightening when Santana's arms circled around her shoulders a little further, bringing their bodies closer together.

"Oh, yeah?" Santana questioned, her fingers gently kneading into the back of Quinn's neck, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth eager to hear what the blonde had come up with. "I just have to let the diva know I'm home first and then we can get down to whateva you're thinkin'"

"You _have_ to let her know?" Quinn smirked, her eyebrow raised with curiosity, while her own arms tightened around Santana's waist, feeling the need to bring her closer, "You just live there. You don't have to tell her anything."

"We were gone for four days, she misses me." Santana shrugged and truth be told, she missed Rachel too, but there was no way in hell she would ever admit that out loud, "So you telling me what your idea is or is this a show me kind of thing? Because next time we visit Lima, I'm thinking we should get a hotel. Having my parents around is a serious mood killer, especially since my mom wanted to hang out with you all the time."

It was Quinn's turn now to chew on her bottom lip, biting back a small smile, "I have a feeling you're not going to enjoy the suggestion."

"Tell me."

"I want us to go on a date." Quinn shyly stated, her finger nervously drawing circles on Santana's lower back. "Well, dates as in plural."

"Oh, you want to be romanced, huh?" Santana smirked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Mmhm. We kind of jumped into things. Not that I'm complaining..." Quinn began to explain, "But I would really love it if we each took a turn planning a special day or night together."

"I'm so down." Santana nodded, "But why would you think I wouldn't enjoy the idea?"

"Because I think it'd mean even more if we didn't have sex until after our second date." Quinn answered, watching as Santana's expression completely fell.

"Huh?"

Quinn quietly laughed, leaning down to brush her lips against Santana's neck, pressing feather like kisses along her skin, burning a path all the way up to her ear, "Not that I don't insanely want you and crave you." she whispered, the ghost of her breath causing a delightful shiver to pass through Santana's entire body, "I just think the anticipation of waiting to be intimate with each other again will make it a million times more glorious and special."

Santana let out a shaky breath, her eyes lightly shut and her body leaning into Quinn's, licking her lips as she responded, "Can we still get our mack on?"

"Absolutely." Quinn answered pausing to nibble on Santana's earlobe, her hand stealthily lowering into Santana's back pocket, "I'll go first. This Friday night." She whispered, giving Santana's ear a gentle tug with her teeth, her hand flexing against Santana's ass.

"Quinn..." Santana whimpered, pretty certain she was about to melt into a puddle on the floor in the hands of the blonde, "What if, say – I can't control myself?"

"If you _can_ control yourself, I promise I'll make it worth your while." Quinn seductively answered and then finally leaned in to press their lips together, smiling when she heard Santana quietly moan into the kiss.

"I thought I heard voices out here!" Rachel smiled as she swung the apartment door open, not seeming to be fazed as she bounced forward and wrapped her arms around both of the girls, "I've missed you! How was Lima!?"

"Kind of busy here, Berry." Santana said with a clear of her throat, still a little dazed out by Quinn's seductiveness.

Quinn lightly laughed, pulling back a little, able to move her arm and wrap it around Rachel's shoulders. "It was bittersweet." She admitted as the three of them pulled apart.

"How so? If you don't mind telling me that is." Rachel questioned her face full of worry and wonder.

Quinn shrugged, reaching down so she could pick up her duffle bag, "My mom, still a bitch." She answered her tone full of bitterness, "I guess it's something I'll strive to never be. Other than that, it was nice to see Santana's parents and Mr. Schue."

"I'm sorry about your mom, Quinn." Rachel kindly said, reaching out to pat the blonde's arm, "I did speak with Mr. Schuester though and he was thrilled to learn about you two. He's never seen either of you happier."

"He loves us." Santana smirked as she reached down to pick up her duffle bag, "Okay though, I hear the shower calling my name. I need to wash these nasty airplane germs off of me." She turned to Quinn, "So I won't see you until our date on Friday?"

"Correct." Quinn smiled as she backed up to her door.

"And then we all need to go out again one night." Rachel suggested giving them both a knowing look, before looping her arm through Santana's.

"We will." Quinn nodded.

"Come on, Santana. The sink is doing that thing again...you know the click click click sound." Rachel said as she pulled her to their apartment.

"I guess I have to go fix the click click click sound." Santana playfully rolled her eyes, giving Quinn one last wave before Rachel dragged her into the apartment.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Do I look okay?" Santana asked after trying on yet another shirt, several of them tossed all over the living room floor. "She said dress casual, this is casual." She nodded mostly to herself as she looked down at her ripped jeans, tank top and the red and black plaid shirt she was wearing, wondering if she should button it up, but decided she liked the look of her cleavage, so she left it open.

Rachel let out a small breath, smiling half-heartedly as she went around collecting the tops Santana didn't seem to like, "I'm not sure why you're nervous. In case you forgot, Santana, but you and Quinn are actually together."

"I know, but it's kind of like our first date, ya know?" Santana smirked as she quickly headed to the bathroom, checking herself out in the mirror as she continued to talk to Rachel, "I wants to impress my lady."

"I assure you, you already do impress her every day." Rachel promised with a dreamy smile, coming over to lean against the doorframe of the bathroom, shaking her head as she watched Santana now fret over her hair. "I have to admit, it's more than acceptable seeing you two so in love with each other."

Santana couldn't help but blush a little, biting back a small smile, pretending she didn't hear Rachel, for some reason her heart picking up its pace when she looked at the time on her phone. "I have ten minutes. Should I put my hair up or down?" she nervously asked, holding her hair up, not a huge fan of the look, so she let it spill back down over her shoulders, quickly brushing it out with her fingers.

"How about-" Rachel quietly began as she walked up behind her and gathered all of the long black hair and brought it all over Santana's right shoulder. She gently turned her and then began to put the thick hair into a side braid, "It's still neat and out of the way, but also laid-back."

Santana let out a slow breath and nodded, "Thanks." She mumbled, rolling her eyes towards herself, mentally thanking Rachel. She slowly looked down at the petite brunette, her nerves calming as she watched Rachel braid her hair, a new emotion suddenly washing over her, "I owe you."

Rachel's forehead scrunched up with amusement and confusion, the corner of her mouth tugging up into a gentle smile, "It's a simple hairstyle, Santana. Even you could have done it if you're hands weren't shaking so badly. I swear it's like Quinn sucked all the poise right from you. I haven't seen you like this since you first met Dani when we were working in the diner."

"No, not-not for this." Santana rolled her eyes, clearing her throat as Rachel finished up and locked eyes with her, "For, for being a great friend. I know we had our ups and downs – but I just went through one of the hardest things in my life and you were there for me every step of the way. Quinn was too, but then things got messy between us and you were there to guide me through that too. And right now, here you are calming me down as I get ready to go on a date with _my girlfriend_."

"I care for you, Santana." Rachel genuinely stated, reaching up to fix the collar of Santana's shirt, "You're my best friend or dare I say it, I sometimes like to think of you as the sister I never had." She sweetly smiled, "Now go and have fun. Quinn is going to be here in-"

 _Knock knock knock._

"Now!" Rachel grinned, "Very punctual. I approve."

Santana lightly laughed, suddenly pulling Rachel in for a surprise hug, "We're being dumb, Quinn is my girlfriend. We approved of her long ago." She said squeezing her close, "Thank you." she whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she pulled away, getting one last nervous breath out before she headed for the door, but Rachel reached out and grabbed her forearm.

"Allow me." Rachel said her tone serious, pulling Santana back and heading for the door first. The expression on her face changed to hold one of meaning, hoping Quinn would play along to her own game she was playing of _'meeting Santana's girlfriend before the first date'_. She opened the door, immediately crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head to the side.

"Hey." Quinn smiled peering over Rachel's shoulders, "Santana ready?" she asked, her smile faltering due to the look on Rachel's face. "She okay?"

"She is ready, but first." Rachel began, her eyebrow raised with question, "Where are you taking her and what time should I expect you to be home?"

"You being serious right now?" Quinn asked unsure about what was going on.

"Rachel, stop." Santana smirked, coming up to stand next to her, "Don't mind her, we just had a friendship moment."

Quinn's smile finally returned and she nodded along, "Oh, well in that case. I promise I'm taking her somewhere fun and our arrival time is still undecided." She winked.

Rachel finally broke character, her face lighting up, squeaking with enchantment, "I'm so pleased for you two. I know you're already official, but you guys are beyond adorable." She slowly eyed Quinn up and down, the blonde wearing a casual dress and the fact that it was plaid and almost matched the shirt Santana was wearing nearly sent the Broadway starlet through the roof with giddiness. "You two match!"

"We better go before she explodes confetti and fireworks on us." Santana teased reaching for her coat, "Bye, Rachel."

"Bye!" Rachel excitedly waved, watching the couple until they disappeared onto the elevator.

Quinn slipped her hand into Santana's as the elevator doors shut, smiling to herself when it finally hit her that Rachel was right, her and Santana were kind of matching, save for the different colours.

"I'm nervous."

Quinn's head quickly snapped up and in the direction of Santana, surprised by the sudden confession.

"Lame, right?" Santana chuckled, her thumb anxiously brushing back and forth over the top of Quinn's hand, "But all we've done is make out and have sex - now we're one on one being romantic."

Quinn couldn't help but smile, tugging her off the elevator when it stopped on the first floor, pulling them over to stop. "I understand, but it's just like hanging out with a friend, only we're more than that. Plus we've been together for almost two months. You don't have to worry about impressing me or anything, San. I'm with you and I'm yours. But you're right, all we've mostly done these past two months are have sex and make out. So now, I want to be romantic with you and go on cheesy cliché dates before we jump right back into bed again."

"I'm good at the sex part though." Santana quietly said with a knowing smirk.

"Believe me, I know." Quinn smiled her arms coming up to wrap around Santana's neck, "And I know you'll be an amazing date too." She softly assured her, "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm a little nervous too."

"Kisses always help with nerves." Santana slyly suggested, her eyes flashing to the blonde's lips for a quick second, hoping she would be rewarded with a small mack and to her enjoyment Quinn dipped her head in and gave her just what she wanted.

Quinn kept the kiss slow and tender, any tension she had finally gone and replaced with excitement, lightly laughing into the kiss when she felt Santana's hand stealthy slip down to rest on her ass, "Did that kiss help?"

"More than you know." Santana breathed, "Do we have reservations for anything?, because I could stand here and do this all day and be perfectly happy to call it a date."

"Santana!" Quinn smiled gently pushing her away, "That's exactly what I don't want." She explained, reaching up to wipe away some of her smudged lipstick from the corner of Santana's mouth, "I mean I want kisses, but we're supposed to be on a date. No more kisses until I say."

"Oh la la demanding. I'm here for it." Santana wiggled her eyebrows, her eyes dark and full of lust.

Quinn shook her head, finally able to tug her along and out of the apartment building, "Why weren't you here for my demands back when I was the captain of the Cheerios?"

"Pssh, different circumstances." Santana said with a wave of her hand.

"Mmhm, come on." Quinn nodded, pulling her in the direction of their destination.

Not long after Quinn brought them to a stop in front of an arcade, suddenly anxious as Santana looked up to see where they were, all worry vanishing when the raven-haired beauty's face lit up and a sudden look of competitiveness made itself known.

"Oh, it's so on." Santana taunted, this time she being the one to tug Quinn along and inside, "Don't think for a second that just because you're my girlfriend I'm gonna go easy on ya."

Quinn smirked as she followed her, digging through her purse to pull out some cash so she could get them tokens, "Oh, you really think I need you to go easy on me?"

Santana came to a stop in front of the token machine, digging through her own purse for some cash, but Quinn stopped her and shook her head, "This date is all on me." She informed her, pushing Santana aside when she was about to protest and finally Santana backed away with her hands up in defense.

"Alright, alright." Santana smirked, eagerly bouncing in her spot as she looked around at the different games, feeling like a kid again. "Skee ball and then the basket ball game – oh and they have glow in the dark mini-golf!"

"We haven't even really begun, but I'm thrilled you already seem pleased with our first date." Quinn smiled as she filled a cup with coins.

Not too much longer Quinn and Santana were side by side at the skee ball area, Santana getting anxious as she peeked over to see what Quinn's score was, her eyes widening at the high number, "Damn, Q! You cheatin?!"

Quinn ignored her, holding her concentration as she kept on tossing the balls perfectly down the small lane, disregarding everything around her until she felt a hand grab her side, "Santana!" she jumped, the ball that just slipped out of her hand curving, about to miss her mark, but to her delight it bounced and landed in the hole marked with the highest score, "Ah ha!"

"Yeah right!" Santana gasped watching as the lights began to flash and a bunch of tickets started to spew from the machine.

"Haven't you learned by now, San? I always come out on top." Quinn said while flashing a wide taunting smile, playfully bumping her with her hip.

"You, me, glow in the dark mini golf." Santana demanded as they waited for Quinn's tickets to finishing unloading.

"Alright, watch and learn, hole in one, first try." Santana confidently smirked, setting her purple ball on the green before getting into position. Quinn smiled as she stood back, watching her carefully aim and then to her surprise and horror she took a big swing, roughly hitting the golf ball, it flying through the air and ricocheting off of the wall and bouncing back at them, causing them both to flinch and duck.

"Santana!"

"Oops." Santana sheepishly smiled with a clear of her throat, "I guess I don't know my own strength." But just as suddenly the guilty expression she was wearing seconds before disappeared and she was now showing one of confidence and poise, "Why don't you come over here and show me the proper way, Quinn?"

Quinn's eyebrow rose with curiosity. It was such a cliché move and normally she would have laughed at anyone else trying to pull such a lame stunt on her, but this was Santana after all and she some how made the whole situation entirely sexy, so without a second thought she went ahead and played along, slinking up behind her to gently rest her fingers on her forearms.

Santana let out a slow breath, smiling when she felt Quinn's hands slide down her arms and rest over her hands, the blonde standing on her tip toes so she could have a better view over Santana's shoulder, her lips inches from Santana's ear as she whispered, "This time, you're going swing nice and gentle."

Santana's eye's fluttered shut, Quinn's hot breath sending pleasant chills throughout her entire body, prompting her to lean back into the embrace enjoying the warmth of the body behind her, while also rewarding Quinn with the enjoyable feeling of her ass pressed against her front.

"Nice and gentle." Santana quietly repeated, savouring their position for a few seconds longer, pleased to know they were the only two occupants in the mini golf area at the time, so they could take as long as they wanted. She adjusted her shoulders slightly and then with Quinn's guidance they both smoothly swung the club, hitting the ball and putting it on the path to the hole, the two watching as it came to a stop just after it.

"Perfect."

Santana stood up straight, reaching up to tangle her fingers in the back of Quinn's hair, angling her head so their lips where brushing together. "We are so cliché." Santana quietly teased before pressing their lips together, smiling as she felt Quinn's arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

"Mmhm." Quinn mumbled into the kiss, wondering what her former classmates would think of her and Santana now if anyone ever saw them like this. It was as if someone had plopped them in one of those predictable romance novel books and she seriously wouldn't change a thing about it. "As much as I'm enjoying this, it's kind of inappropriate considering where we're at." Giving her one last chaste kiss and then detaching from her so she could take her turn.

Santana let out a small whimper of protest when Quinn pulled away, deciding to take a step back and enjoy the view of Quinn taking her turn, licking her lips as Quinn bent over to place her golf ball on the ground. Quinn not foolish in where Santana's eyes had traveled, deciding to be extra flirty and give her a longer show, looking up and sending her wink before finally taking her shot.

"We tied." Quinn informed Santana after she added up the scores, their round of mini golf full of laugher and kisses and hand holding.

"You lie." Santana said coming over to wrap an arm around Quinn's waist, nodding with approval as she looked over the scores, "Wow." She mused, "How bouts we play some more games, win us some tickets and cash them in for a bear, so Lacy can have a friend?"

Quinn's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth as she mustered up some bravery to look up at Santana, "I still have her."

"I know. I saw her comfortably tucked away in your closet a few weeks ago; right next to the hoodie I let you borrow that same time I visited." Santana smirked watching as Quinn's cheeks turned brighter. "Don't worry, Q, I think it's cute." She assured and then leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek, before skipping off to find another game to play.

"We need to think of a name for her." Quinn stated as she held the purple stuffed animal bear up in front of her, the two managing to find a quiet place to walk in a nearby park, the sun setting and the night getting cooler.

"Panties." Santana teased and reached out to take Quinn's hand.

"I know we can come up with something better than that." Quinn smiled as she tucked the purple bear under her arm, guiding them to the next part of the date.

Santana sat on a bench as she waited for Quinn to return, overlooking the harbor, relaxing and just taking it all in. Two years ago she didn't have a happy bone in her body and her life was falling apart. If someone told her things would drastically change and she'd find happiness again in the form of Quinn Fabray, she would have laughed in their faces. Yet here she was, finally living her best life.

"Is this too simple?" Quinn wondered aloud as she came back with two hotdogs and a drink from a close by food truck, taking the spot next to Santana on the bench and setting everything down. "I didn't want to over think it."

"Our date?" Santana asked as she helped Quinn get situated, "I think it's perfect."

"We're eating hotdogs on a bench." Quinn lightly laughed suddenly second guessing her date idea, but the look on Santana's face was telling her she shouldn't be worrying.

"Quinn, I had a blast today." Santana assured her as she bit into her hotdog, chewing for a few minutes before she added, "And nothing beats New York City street meat. Well Rachel might disagree, but I'm satisfied."

"Good." Quinn smiled with a nod, the two eating in a comfortable silence.

After their trash was thrown away, Quinn came back to the bench, hugging the bear in her lap and leaning into Santana's side, relaxing into her warmth when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, the two falling into a light conversation, the kind where time meant nothing and all that mattered was being with each other.

"Quinn?" Santana smirked looking down at the blonde whose head was starting to become heavier as the night went on. Her one word answers turning into soft sounds. "You're falling asleep."

"No, I'm not." Quinn replied jolting her head up, but relaxing just as quickly. Looking around and remembering they were still definitely in a park in New York, in the dark, but to her appreciation she felt safe just being with Santana, apparently secure enough to fall asleep. "I suppose we should head back. Rachel is probably worried."

"You better bring me home then." Santana teased and stood up, pulling Quinn with her.

Shortly after Quinn and Santana came to a stop in front of their apartment doors, the two molding together into a hug.

"Goodnight, Santana." Quinn sweetly smiled, leaning in to peck a quick kiss to her lips.

Santana smirked and rested her forehead against Quinn's, "No invite inside? Not even to mack for a while?"

"Not on this date." Quinn declared, "You're too irresistible not to trust. Just think of how amazing things will be with all this built up anticipation."

"May I remind you of who I am?" Santana stated, her arms tightening around her waist and her lips making contact with Quinn's.

"Mmhm." Quinn moaned sliding her fingers up the back of Santana's neck, lightly massaging while she kept up with the rhythm of the kiss.

Santana let out a slow breath when they pulled back, her eyes still lightly shut, and her lips parted, "I had a great night."

"Me too." Quinn whispered this time she being the one to initiate the kiss, questioning whether or not she wanted to hold off on the sex part, especially when Santana's tongue skillfully sought entrance into the kiss, successfully finding Quinn's. She wasn't sure how long the two stood in the hallway making out, but she didn't care and simply pulled Santana's closer, the two going strong until Quinn had to pull away to catch her breath.

"Be ready by 10 on Sunday." Santana said with a shaky breath, "My date takes place out of the city."

"I'm intrigued." Quinn responded, the two still holding each other close.

Santana gave her one last kiss and then finally pulled away, happy to see the lustful look on Quinn's face. Quinn may have beaten her at a majority of the arcade games tonight, but Santana definitely just won their goodnight kisses.

"Goodnight, Q." Santana said waving and then disappearing inside the apartment, feeling like a giddy school girl as she shut the door and leaned back against it, quickly turning to look through the peephole, smiling as she watched Quinn try and compose herself before she headed over to her apartment.

"It's late. I trust that you had a wonderful time?"

Santana turned around upon hearing Rachel's face, finding the petite brunette in a silky bathrobe, if the giant grin on her face didn't give her away, she didn't know what would, "Absolutely." Santana nodded.

"Good." Rachel nodded and then spun on her heels, "I would love to hear all about it, but it's late and I need my beauty sleep. A Broadway star doesn't stay this fresh with less than eight hours of sleep."

"We'll do lunch." Santana called out lightly laughing as Rachel waved to her and then vanished into her room.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn slid her sunglasses on as she exited the apartment building, following orders through Santana's text message to meet her outside, looking around until she spotted Santana standing next to a black four door jeep.

"Your chariot awaits." Santana smiled, spotting Quinn and waving her over.

"Road trip date?" Quinn questioned with a curious smile, checking the jeep over.

Santana nodded and opened the passenger door for her, "Yes. You'll get to know more once we leave the city."

"Colour me intrigued." Quinn nodded leaning over to press a kiss to Santana's cheek, before climbing into the vehicle.

After many curse words and Spanish rambles, they finally hit the open road; Quinn surprised the rented jeep even made it through all the traffic and idiot drivers in the city.

"So where are we going?" Quinn questioned watching as Santana dug around in the middle control box, successfully pulling out a small map while she managed to keep her eyes on the road. Quinn took it from her and began reading, her finger following all the little red circles on their route. She smiled and looked over at her, "Wine tour?"

"I know we're both not connoisseurs, but I thought it'd be fun to get out of the city for the day." Santana explained, her stomach rolling with stress as she waited for Quinn's reaction to her date idea. She used her peripheral vision to gauge her reaction, while still keeping focus on her driving. "I even packed us a little picnic." She nodded to the backseat.

"Wow, San." Quinn nodded with approval reaching out to take Santana's free hand so she could press a kiss to it and so she could hold it while they drove to their first stop. "I'm impressed."

Santana let out a slow breath, smiling and finally relaxing. She knew Quinn would approve of this, the blonde loved doing fancy things, and instead of trying to make reservations at some stuffy restaurant and have a boring dinner and movie date, she opted to get a little adventurous.

"I'm happy to hear." Santana smiled and pushed her aviators up on her nose, leaning back and pressing down on the gas pedal, excited to get to their first winery, "Damn, if we ever move out of the city, I'm gettin' me one of these." She grinned as she sped up above the speed limit and passed a few cars in the right lane.

A small flutter ruffled in Quinn's stomach. She wasn't sure if Santana had even noticed what she had said, but the fact that she used _we_ – _if we ever move out of the city_ – gave her a pleasant feeling, so much so that she didn't even care that Santana was traveling well over the speed limit. Instead she laced her fingers with Santana's and relaxed in the passenger seat, watching the cars fly by as the two made conversation about anything and everything.

They both were finishing the last little bit of a Kelly Clarkson song as Santana pulled into their first winery, Santana hitting a higher note than Quinn, but the two of them both equally sounded just as great.

"Why didn't we duet more often back in Glee?" Quinn questioned as she turned down the radio and gathered her purse and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Very funny, Quinn, you were crazy back then and we hated each other." Santana answered as she parked the jeep and shut it off, grabbing her things and climbing out of the car. "Plus, it was hard to get a solo with Rachel Berry around, let alone a duet."

"I didn't hate you." Quinn commented coming around to loop her arm through Santana's, "Did you hate me?"

Santana rolled her eyes, not wanting to probe their high school past, but she went along with it anyway, hoping she'd be able to put her mind at ease, "I didn't hate you, but we obviously weren't the greatest friends to each other back then. If I could go back I would do it all over again though – well not all of it –but I definitely would have been there for you more than I was." She came to a stop just before they entered the small building of the winery, taking both of Quinn's hands in her own, the two locking eyes, "Let's both admit something right now..." she began and Quinn gave her a small nod, encouraging her to continue, "We were both bitches in high school, the top HBIC , I mean we still are bitches today only we're nicer about it." She smiled and Quinn swore she could have seen a small twinkle light up on the top row of her perfect teeth, "And somehow fate stepped in and so many years later we're now gleefully together."

"So let me try and decipher this. We both sucked in high school, but all of that doesn't matter now because we're a couple." Quinn smirked slipping her hands out of Santana's so she could rest her forearms on her shoulders.

Santana nodded, resting her hands on Quinn's hips, "Precisely. The only thing I wish is that the _you and I_ part happened sooner, but then there's all that, you wouldn't be who you are now if you didn't go through what you went through, bullshit."

"I wonder if things would have worked out as smoothly as they are now if we had gotten together after the night we hooked up at Mr. Schue's wedding."

Santana's eyebrows creased with confusion, pulling away so they could start their walk back to the building, "I thought I was just a friendly experiment for you back then?"

"That's how it started." Quinn confessed, her thumb brushing nervously back and forth over Santana's, "But then I couldn't stop thinking about you and every guy I was ever with after that could never satisfy me the way you did that night. I wanted to try something with you again, but then you were with Dani and then out of nowhere you and Britt were engaged."

Santana quietly gasped, tugging her hand gently, "Quinn..." She whispered, turning to face her, the two halting in their spot once again, her expression showing nothing but sorrow, "I had no idea."

"I didn't say anything." Quinn said, her smile sour, "But something tells me it wouldn't have worked out anyway, you only had eyes for Brittany back then."

"And look how that turned out." Santana said, but she couldn't help but smirk, "I thought my life was over after that divorce, but then here comes Quinn Fabray in for the save. Allow me to get cheesy for a minute, but I haven't felt this kind of happy before." She began, "I mean obviously at the time I was happy with Britt, but I worried about her a lot." She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, "With you – I feel safe and protected and taken care of. I worry about you, but more in a I hope she's happy and feels safe with me kind of way and not in a – did she remember she can't blow dry her hair in the bath tub kind of way-"

"Wait, what?" Quinn smirked, "Britt she -?"

"She thought she was saving time." Santana waved the comment off, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I feel two different kinds of love. With you I can't explain it - but it feels right."

"I never felt like this with anyone before either, Santana." Quinn said, her arms wrapping around Santana once again, "And don't worry anymore, because you make me happier than you'll ever know, especially right now." She said and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, "Come on. I think we should go taste some wine so I can drown these butterflies in my stomach."

Santana lightly laughed, "I agree."

Two hours later the two laughed and giggled as they hopped in the car, Santana reaching in the backseat to pull two sandwiches from the cooler and a bottle of water.

"Okay, I think once that tour guide found out we were a couple, she totally wanted to have a threesome with us." Santana mused as she handed Quinn a sandwich, while she took a long drink of water.

Quinn smiled as she nodded, "Hey, I managed to get a free bottle of wine because of it." She held up the bag to showcase the free merchandise, before putting it safely in the backseat. "How about that older couple? I thought for sure both of them were going to explode at the sight of your hand on my ass."

Santana shrugged, "They probably wanted to grab the goods too." She said as she looked out the window, the clouds not looking so friendly in the distance, "I wonder if we can fit in the last one before the storm comes in."

"I say we risk it and go. I'm having too much fun." Quinn said, "Plus that one young couple I was speaking with at the last winery said they make an amazing red wine. It's an expensive wine, but they said you can get it cheap at this place."

"Alright, I'm in." Santana agreed with a smile, pleased to know Quinn was enjoying her time. "I guess you're more of a wine fan than I thought!"

"I enjoy a nice glass after work every now and then." Quinn admitted,

After they finished the small lunch Santana had packed, she sped off to the next winery, beating the storm there, but when they came out the rain had began to down pour.

"I say, we make a run for it." Quinn challenged, looking to Santana and then to the jeep, which was parked further than they had intended, but with everyone else having the same idea, they had no choice.

"Okay." Santana nodded reaching into her pocket for the keys, wanting to be ready to enter the car as fast as she could. "Let's go!" she shouted and the two set off into a dash across the rocky pathway, but upon reaching the jeep, Quinn called out to her.

"San, wait!"

Santana slowed down, looking to her left expecting to find the blonde wiped out on the ground, but they were still running alongside each other, only Quinn was starting to slow down, reaching for her arm and forcing Santana to slow down with her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Quinn smiled, "I always wanted to do this-" She said and then pulled Santana close, crashing their lips together. She found herself dizzy with elation, her arms wrapping around Santana's neck, their kiss nothing but perfect even as the rain washed down on them. It was as though all those hardships she had been through didn't matter anymore, everything that lead up to this moment was all worth it in her mind. She couldn't see into the future back then, but if she would have known this was where she was going to end up, if she knew this was going to be her reward, she'd relive her past over and over again.

Santana pulled away after a few long glorious minutes, the kiss definitely one of a kind, the rain making it that much grander, but they were both starting to shiver, "Okay, Nicholas Sparks, let's get in the jeep."

Quinn only offered her a dreamy smile, tugging Santana towards the backseat, the two climbing inside, finally out of the rain.

"I am disgustingly in love with you." Quinn declared as she leaned in to capture Santana's lips once again, pulling a moan right from the back of the raven-haired beauty's throat, fanning the bottom of her sundress out as she moved to straddle Santana's lap in the backseat of the vehicle, glad to know the window's were tinted, because she was almost positive she wasn't going to be able to wait until they drove back to the city to get her hands on the girl underneath her.

"Fuck." Santana whimpered, leaning back against the seat, her hands finding their way under Quinn's dress, coming to rest just above the waistband of her underwear, "Aren't we breaking your date rule?"

"This was the last winery stop, so technically the date is over-" Quinn clarified as she rocked her hips against Santana, her lips coming down to suck on a sensitive spot on her neck, one she knew drove Santana wild, "Unless you had more planned?"

"This was how I planned to end it-" Santana moaned tilting her head to allow Quinn more access, "Only I pictured us in your bed, but I am living for the spontaneous backseat fun."

Quinn simply nodded as she reached for the hem of Santana's shirt, pulling it off and tossing it to some unknown part of the car and even though the rain they were just in was cold and wet, they were both feeling the exact opposite as they panted and melted into each other. Quinn only pulling back so she could unzip her dress, allowing it to pool around her thighs, moaning as Santana leaned forward to press rough kisses against the fabric of her bra, arching her back into her as enthusiastic hands ran soothingly all over her body making her feel warm and wanted, the entire world around them disappearing when she felt Santana's hand slip down the front of her panties.

It was still raining an hour later, the two of them sprawled out across the backseat, in as comfortable of a position as they could get, Santana spooning Quinn from behind, pressing feather light kisses to her shoulder.

"That was a nice way to end the wine tour." Santana smiled leaning up on her elbow so she could look down at Quinn's relaxed features.

"You have no idea." Quinn smiled, turning the best she could so she could look up at her girlfriend. "Do you think anyone heard us?"

"It's possible." Santana smirked, reaching up to wipe some of the fog from the window, seeing that most of the cars were gone now, "The rain probably helped with drowning out our voices though."

Quinn let out a slow breath as she leaned up, still a little shaky from their strenuous activity in the backseat, looking around for her bra and underwear, the next few minutes a blur as someone knocked on the window, impressed with how quickly Santana had managed to throw herself onto of her, shielding her from any sudden threats that lurked just outside the jeep.

"Que deseas!?" Santana shouted, leaning up to give the stranger a threatening look.

Quinn's hands came up to rest on Santana's stomach, her eyes taking in how tense her muscles had become, licking her lips when her abs contracted and she was all of a sudden ready to leap into action if she needed to, the sight above her and the very fact that Santana was being exceptionally protective turning her on all over again.

"We're closed. You have to move your car." The guy said, trying to take a look inside, his eyebrow rising with delight when he noticed what was going on in there.

"Okay, okay. Give us a god damn minute, we're going." Santana yelled through the window, banging the palm of her hand against the glass when he tried to angle his head to get a better look, "If you don't walk away I will make sure you won't ever be able to walk again."

The guy backed up and away from the car, his hands up in the air as Santana eyed him down, making sure he was on his way before she sat up on her knees in between Quinn's legs.

"Well, Hermosa, it's time to go." Santana smiled as she reached out to grab their discarded clothing from all over the backseat.

Quinn slowly sat up, stretching some of the kinks out of her back, making sure to rewards Santana with a kiss, "After what just happened now, you are so getting a round two when we get back."

Santana's eyes fluttered, sucking in a sharp breath, "Wanky."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn's breathing was short and heavy as her hips bucked over Santana's mouth, her fingers digging into the arm of the couch, her eyes screwed shut as the pleasure grew between her legs, "Fuck, San-" she whispered, chancing a look down, finding Santana completely submissive below her only adding further bliss, she not far off from being pushed over the edge.

"I'm home!" Rachel cheerfully called out as she entered the apartment, her timing impeccable as Quinn cried out her lover's name in complete ecstasy, the Broadway starlet's eyes going wide at the sight in front of her.

"Santana!" Quinn cried out.

"Quinn!?" Rachel screamed her hands quickly flying over her both of her eyes.

"Rachel?" Santana mumbled from her position between Quinn's legs.

Quinn quickly lowered back down to the couch, grabbing a blanket to cover both of their bodies as she rested her head on Santana's chest, "You really need to move out of Rachel's apartment, San."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"So, do you guys like it?" Santana asked with a hopeful smile, walking the short distances from the kitchen over to the view, "I can see your apartment building from here."

"Even though I'm upset that we won't be living together anymore, I am pleased you found a suitable place to live." Rachel answered as her fingers lightly swiped along the top of the granite island in the kitchen. "A billion times better than that rat infested place you almost moved into." And even though she didn't actually see the place in person, Santana's description was able to produce quite the imagery, enough to make her squirm with disgust.

Quinn shrugged as she looked around, quietly giving her opinion, "It's kind of small."

"It's just me living here, plus it's New York City, this is like a goldmine." Santana said and turned around, her smile faltering after observing the troubled expression on Quinn's face. "Q?"

Quinn's eyes quickly found Santana's, the tone of her voice stern as she answered, "What?"

Rachel's eyes went wide as she looked between the two, feeling the atmosphere begin to change and the tension suddenly rise, "I'm going to go check the bedroom out again." She stated and hurried on her way, sensing that the two suddenly needed some alone time.

"Okay, what did I do?" Santana asked, her heels clicking against the hardwood as she made her way over to Quinn, the blonde averting her eyes elsewhere, "Quinn?"

Quinn's jaw clenched, her arms folding over her chest, inhaling through her nose and then slowly letting it out her mouth, "You didn't even talk to me about this!"

"Yeah we did." Santana said, "Well kind of. You said I needed to move out of Rachel's apartment and you were right, so here's my new apartment."

"That wasn't a discussion, San. Yeah sure it was a hint, but it was weeks ago. You didn't even tell me you were looking." Her foot tapped against the floor, mumbling, "I bet you Rachel knew though."

"I actually didn't tell anyone because it was something I wanted to do on my own." Santana defended, "Come on, Quinn, don't get all bitchy over something so dumb."

"No, you want to know what's dumb, Santana?" Quinn asked, her eyes burning and her body filling with rage, "How you lived on Rachel's couch for two years and now all of a sudden you decide to move out on your own!"

Santana's eyes nearly popped out of her head, her hands coming up to tug at her hair out of frustration, "That's what you told me to do!"

"I wanted you to move in with me!"

"What?"

"Would it be so bad?" Quinn asked her voice hoarse and her arms finally dropping to her sides. "Okay, maybe we just started dating, but we've been best friends for how long? Doesn't that trump a lot of things? And on top of all that, we already say I love you."

"I-I didn't even think about that." Santana admitted and took a step closer to Quinn, "I didn't even think about it, because, I kind of need this."

"Space?"

"A little bit of independence." Santana said trying to hurry up with her explanation since the look on Quinn's face only grew more anxious as the seconds went by, "I'm not trying to hurt you and this isn't a way to be apart from you. I just – I've always lived with someone and now is my chance to live on my own."

"It makes no sense. You sleep at my place all the time. You're wasting money."

"Quinn, I know we were best friends first. I can't even remember a time without you in my life, but our relationship is still kind of new. I am so in love with you, but if I move in with you now, it'd be desperate U-hauling." She teased, but obviously Quinn didn't find it funny, so she reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I only signed the lease for six months."

"What am I a six month trial for you? If we don't make it you'll sign on longer?"

"Quinn, stop." Santana pleaded and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her, "I know we'll make it and I also know that your apartment will be due right around the time mine is, so then we can start looking for a place together."

" _Buy_ together?" Quinn questioned her heart dancing with nerves as she waited for Santana to answer.

"If that's what we want when the time comes."

"Like a Brownstone in the Upper West Side?" Quinn asked her anger suddenly switching to one of hopefulness as her arms came up to rest on Santana's shoulders, although still a little annoyed about the situation, she was trying to keep herself positive by looking on the bright-side of things.

"I don't know where you think we'll get the money to afford that, but sure, Q, whatever makes you happy." Santana smiled glad to see that her girlfriend was coming around to the idea of them living apart for a while.

Quinn simply nodded with a slight smile, her daydreaming still however spilling over as she added, "Or! A condo in Manhattan?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Quinn." Santana said as she pulled her close.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Alright, this is my last box." Santana declared with an accomplished smile on her face, Rachel and Quinn both looking up at her with dissatisfaction, causing Santana's smile to weaken, "What?"

"I was overjoyed for you when you found a new apartment, Santana." Rachel began to sniffle, quickly wiping the tears that had started to spill from her eyes, "But now that it's official, I really dislike the thought of you not being here."

Santana offered her a genuine smile, walking over to her and resting her hand on her shoulder, but Rachel shrugged it off and instead threw her arms around her, "Aw, it's okay, little one." She cooed, pulling her close, "I've been sleeping on your couch, Rach. It's time for me to move on. Plus I'll be right across the street."

"I know." Rachel mumbled against her shoulder, "But it's not the same."

Santana nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "I'll still come over and kill the spiders and fix the click click click sound the sink makes." She promised giving her a small squeeze, letting out a shaky breath as she added, "And, Rach? Thank you, for letting me stay here and for taking care of me when I really needed it."

"Always." Rachel said pulling back to look up at her, her eyes still shining with wetness.

Quinn stood close by, her eyes on the two best friends with her arms crossed over her chest, still secretly annoyed Santana wasn't moving in with her, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being, deciding that six months would go by fast and they would soon be living together in no time.

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." Rachel said.

"For Christ's sake! She's moving across the street not to another state!" Quinn finally stated as she walked over to pick up Santana's last box, which was thankfully light.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Quinn hasn't had lunch yet, she's cranky, so forgive her for ruining the moment."

"I understand." Rachel sweetly smiled, wiping at her wet cheeks, "Shall we drop the box off at Santana's and go grab lunch?"

"Yes." Quinn said and then turned to head for the door, still fighting back her own emotions as she yanked it open and proceeded to the elevator.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Santana?" Quinn mumbled against her lips, the two of them currently sprawled out on Quinn's couch, the movie playing on the flat screen TV going unnoticed while they indulged in a make out session.

Santana hummed a small response, her lips still on Quinn's before they moved down to her neck.

Quinn wasn't sure why such a question had popped up in her mind, and she wondered if it was going to be a mood killer, but for some reason she wanted to know, not caring if she was going to sound like the typical girlfriend, so she went ahead and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"You." Came Santana's quick reply.

Quinn smiled, she really shouldn't of had any doubt, but as much as she enjoyed Santana's lady kisses, she wanted to talk. So she slid her hands up Santana's neck, gently taking her face in between her hands and pulled her head up, "San..."

"Q..."

"Elaborate."

Santana held back an eye roll, but she did let out a long sigh, her hand coming to rest just under Quinn's breast and on her rib, halting it's journey to second base, "I'm thinking about how I'm laying on top of you in just a bra with my jeans unbuttoned and half way down and even though you're still fully clothed in your church girl sundress, I can feel how wet you are just by the touch of your panties against my lower stomach – but somehow you want to suddenly talk?"

"Yes." Quinn honestly answered no hint of apology anywhere near the tone of her voice. She could tell Santana was irritated, and yeah maybe Quinn was turned on, but there was a small stab of insecurity poking at her, and she wanted to clear it up. Back in the day when she found herself in heavy make out sessions with the guys in high school, she was guilty of her mind being elsewhere, on topics that had nothing to do with the activity she was involved in. Not to mention the unfortunate time she had gotten pregnant, maybe Puck had skills and a lot of alcohol was evolved, but Quinn's mind was definitely far from the guy above her and more on the short skirts she was privileged to see every day while being on the Cheerios and all it took was the vision of Santana naked in the locker room to really get her going. But now it had her wondering, even though her attention and thoughts were completely on Santana every single time they were intimate, a part of her questioned if Santana's mind was on her. The whole them living apart thing fueling some, if not most of her uncertainty, even if Santana had reassured her, it meant nothing other than her wanting to live alone for a little while.

Santana's forehead fell to Quinn's shoulder, grumbling something in Spanish, before lifting it up to look down at her girlfriend, "Am I supposed to ask you what you're thinking about?"

There was a reason Santana was almost naked, Quinn was always eager to get her hands on that delicious body of hers. The girl on top worked out almost six days a week and thanks to Sue Sylvester, healthy eating was pretty much embedded into her mind. Quinn wished she could say the same for herself, but her career took up much of her time, so her gym time was very little and her eating habits were whatever was quick and simple, which still left her with a flat stomach and a nice shape, but Santana had abs and muscle and Quinn loved to run her hands over every inch of it. And right now she had one splayed on her stomach with her thumb brushing against her ridged muscles, while the other was dipping just under the waistband of the back of her panties ready to make contact with her favourite asset. This was one of the first times in Quinn's life where she couldn't get enough of someone. She wanted Santana everyday all day and she just had to make sure Santana was 100 percent into this relationship as much as she was.

"I'm thinking about you." Quinn quietly answered her eyes locking with Santana's.

"Well duh." Santana rolled her eyes, leaning back down so she could press their lips together, but Quinn turned her head and gave her the cheek. "Quinn..." Santana muttered through clenched teeth, lifting her head to look back down at her, "I ain't a mind reader, so if something is wrong, tell me."

Quinn shifted a little to get comfortable, her legs that were once cradling Santana between her thighs, stretching out, both her arms wrapping around her waist to hold her close for comfort, "What do you think about when we're kissing and being intimate?"

"You!" Santana said with frustration, but she relaxed a little when she noticed the expression on Quinn's face, letting her know that her blonde bombshell of a girlfriend was over thinking. "Quinn..." She quietly began, her hand sliding up to cup her cheek, her voice sweet and genuine, "I'm thinking about you. Things like, what kind of kissing mood you're in, if you're feeling dominate or submissive, if you want rough or gentle. I'm thinking about the places you love to be kissed, places that I know will make you squirm or ones that make you moan. I'm thinking about where my hands are going to go, if you want to be held, or if you're ready to be groped." She ended with a sly smile her eyes momentarily darting to her breasts, but were just as quickly back to holding her gaze. "And most importantly I'm thinking about how lucky I am to be gettin' my mack on with such a sexy lady."

It was just what Quinn wanted to hear plus more, a smile finding her lips, her eyes sparkling with love as she whispered, "Kiss me."

"With pleasure." Santana smirked, dipping her head down, softly pressing their lips together, allowing Quinn to have control of this one.

The kiss started off slow and passionate, Quinn wanting things to be tender and relaxed, so she could savour this moment between them. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but just as things started to heat up to a much faster pace, there was a loud knock on the door.

Quinn jolted with surprise, pulling out of the kiss so she could listen again. "Was that knock on my apartment?"

"No." Santana lied, knowing very well that it was most definitely coming from Quinn's door, but if she could keep things in motion for a little while longer she was going to do just that, and so she tugged Quinn's dress down the best she could with the straps still hanging on her shoulders and buried her nose in the crack of her cleavage nuzzling her face in all her glory.

"Santana!" Quinn laughed, arching her back into her, while her fingers tangled in the back of her hair, her legs spreading wider to welcome her further in, until the pounding on the door increased and a voice followed.

"Damn, girl, Quinn open the door! I didn't fly all the way from LA to be ignored."

Quinn's eyes snapped open and a giant smile found her lips, "Mercedes?" She questioned, tugging Santana's head up, her look beaming nothing but annoyance, but Quinn ignored it and pushed at Santana's shoulders, crawling out from under her, quickly fixing herself up before heading to the door, squealing with happiness when she opened it and Mercedes was on the other side, along with Kurt, Blaine, Tina and Rachel. "What are you doing here?"

"Interrupting." Santana bluntly answered for her from her spot in the living room, doing her jeans back up, grumbling while she searched for her shirt.

"Wow." Mercedes said with fascination, looking back and forth between Quinn and Santana, reaching out to brush some of Quinn's hair away from her neck finding the faint signs of a hickey, "So it is true. I had to see it for myself."

"They are disgustingly adorable." Kurt chimed in and then proceeded to barge into the apartment, holding up a bottle of wine as he walked by Quinn, the other's following him.

Quinn brought her hand up to cover the mark on her neck, offering Mercedes a sheepish smile, looking back over to Santana who was still struggling to find her top, finding herself smiling at the sight.

"Oh you got it bad, Fabray." Mercedes lightly laughed, wrapping her arm around Quinn's shoulders to usher her back into the apartment, "Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do, the last time I saw you, you were still living in Boston and you weren't looking at Santana like she was the only one in this whole goddamn world."

"I think – I think I found your shirt, Santana." Rachel said as she slowly pulled a plaid button up out of the sink, holding it up for everyone to see.

"In the sink?" Blaine asked with wide eyes.

Santana looked up with bright eyes, but she soon rolled them, "Quinn was getting frisky in the kitchen, but my tank top didn't come off until after the movie started." She proudly smiled and then offered Mercedes a small wave, "Hey, Wheezy."

"Santana!" Quinn scolded her cheeks turning to a light hue of pink.

"They dry hump everywhere." Tina mumbled with a roll of her eyes.

Quinn's voice was once again echoed throughout the apartment, "Tina!" ducking out from under Mercedes arm so she could help Rachel in the kitchen.

"She's not wrong." Rachel sing-songed as she tossed Santana's shirt aside so she could grab some wine glasses.

Mercedes lightly laughed as she joined Blaine, Kurt and Tina at the kitchen table, "Oh Jesus, I am grateful I live in another state...across the country."

"You're missing out on lots o' fun!" Santana smirked, giving up her search and coming over to join them at the kitchen table in nothing but her bra and jeans.

Quinn and Rachel were soon over at the table, filling each of the glasses with wine, Quinn pulling the last free chair out for Rachel to take, while she went to grab the button up shirt for Santana to put on and then gently sat down in her girlfriend's lap.

"So this is a real thing?" Mercedes questioned as she watched Quinn get comfortable against Santana, the two molding into each other like it was second nature, "I mean, yes, I have seen the posts on all the social medias, but, you two it's more than just sex?"

Santana rolled her eyes, mildly offended, besides Mr. Schue, whenever they told someone about their relationship outside their New York crew, it always surprised everyone, and they always seemed to look at Quinn when they questioned the relationship, as if to say Quinn could do better than Santana and it caused her to wrap her arm more protectively around Quinn's waist. She felt Quinn's fingers run up the back of her neck, slipping into her hair, gently massaging, almost sensing that she needed the comfort and she was grateful for it.

"No, really, Mercedes, they hold hands and do all the romantic things together." Kurt grinned while he sipped on his glass of wine.

"It's true, Mercedes." Quinn leaned her head against Santana's, letting out a content breath.

Mercedes studied Quinn's face for a few quick seconds and then moved on to Santana's, who was absentmindedly pressing a few kisses to the underside of Quinn's jaw, "Well, okay." She nodded with approval, "I'm honestly just glad to see you two so happy."

"Thank you." Santana said,

"So, do we go out tonight and show Mercedes the New York City night life?" Blaine suggested and Kurt clink their wine glasses together as his way of agreeing to the proposal.

Quinn inwardly sighed, she was ecstatic Mercedes was around for a surprise visit, but she definitely wasn't up for a night on the town, especially when her night already started off lazy and comfortable with Santana. However, just as she was about to decline on behalf of her and Santana, hoping to salvage what was left of their night, offering to meet up tomorrow to catch up over coffee, Santana sat up and raised her glass.

"I'm so down." Santana smiled.

"Really, San?" Quinn quietly questioned, reaching up to place her hand delicately against her cheek, "It's almost 9."

"We'll get to the club around 1030, it's the perfect time to go." Santana nodded, "It's Saturday night, not like you have to work tomorrow."

"Aren't we a little too old to be going clubbing?" Quinn questioned.

Kurt gasped as she stood up, "Quinn Fabray, how dare you say something so awful. We are not old. Now get your cute ass up and go get ready, you are definitely coming now."

Quinn's attention went to Kurt, about to protest but Kurt held up his hand to cut her off, "Go get ready, Ms. Fabray. I will not take no as an answer."

"Even I'm going." Rachel brightly smiled as she stood up so she could head to her apartment across the hall to fix herself up.

"That a girl!" Santana smiled giving her a high five as she breezed by her.

Quinn rolled her eyes, but she hesitantly stood up, "Fine." She mumbled, "If only because Mercedes is visiting."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"So a lot has changed since our days at McKinley." Mercedes said as she walked side by side with Quinn, "I'm about to start my very own record label, you're some big hot shot lawyer and..." her voice went low as her eyes landed on Santana who was walking a few feet in front of them, her arm looped through Rachel's. "Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry are friends? I feel like I actually entered the Twilight Zone."

"Best friends." Quinn corrected, "I mean, I consider Rachel to be my best friend too, but after Rachel took Santana in following the whole divorce situation. They're like Betty and Veronica."

"I suppose stranger things have happened." Mercedes smirked nudging Quinn playfully in the side, "Like you in a relationship with Satan herself."

Quinn couldn't help but lightly laugh, looping her arm through Mercedes, much like the way Rachel and Santana were walking in front of them, "Hey, now. Santana has changed a lot too. Sometimes the old high school bitch comes out, but really, Mercedes, she's...incredible, I just wish it didn't take us this long to figure it out."

"Okay, okay, I'll try and be down with a Quinntana relationship." Mercedes smiled as they came to a stop so they could enter the club Tina had guided them into, which caused Mercedes to snicker, "And quiet Tina, successful photographer knowing all the club hook ups?"

"Being an adult is a whole new world." Quinn winked and headed inside.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

A few hours after they arrived the group was out on the dance floor, Mercedes teasingly shoving Quinn's shoulder who's mouth was currently preoccupied with Santana's, "Okay, I get it! You two are a couple...a nasty one."

"We warned you." Blaine smirked with a shake of his head.

Santana's arms only tightened around Quinn's neck, the music drowning out her small whimper when the blonde pulled her lips from hers, her eyes still lidded and dazed as she searched to try and give Mercedes a look, who in return shrugged.

"Who's that?" Santana nodded to a guy slowly approaching Rachel from behind, watching as Rachel's eyes went wide and she quickly moved to avoid the random creep.

"He's been impolitely following me around." Rachel informed them as she huddled closer to Blaine.

Santana turned in Quinn's arms, her eyes narrowing in on the brown haired, scrawny 5'8 over dressed man, shaking her head at him as he tried to approach once more. He gave her a sly smile and backed away, but something told her it wasn't the last of him.

Quinn's hands rested on Santana's hips, giving them a gentle squeeze, the heels she was wearing making her taller than the flats Santana had on, her lips pressing to her ear to make sure she would be heard over the music, "I'm all for you keeping creepy men away, but please may I ask that you try and keep it violent free."

Santana simply offered her a shrug, which prompted Quinn to reach up and grab her chin, turning her head so they were making eye contact the best they could from their position, trying once again, "Promise me."

Santana rolled her eyes, her fingers wrapping around Quinn's wrist to pull her hand from her face, bringing it to rest on her stomach as they both moved to the rhythm of the music, "Fine, no violence."

"Who needs a break?" Mercedes asked, "My feet are killing me."

"I envy the shoes you girls sometimes wear, but I bet the pain isn't worth it." Kurt smirked as he reached for Mercedes hand and began to drag her over to the VIP couch Tina had managed to snag for them at last minute.

"I'm going to get another drink." Rachel informed them, her and Tina heading to the bar, while the rest went to sit down.

Quinn slid into the couch first reaching for Santana's hand as she slid in next to her, "Santana and I are going to head out soon."

"We are?" Santana questioned with a raise of her eyebrow, Quinn leaning in to whisper something in her ear, Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes watching as her confused expression turned into one of desire, which in turn caused her to nod in agreement, "We are."

"We used to be like that." Kurt smirked giving Blaine a small glance, "Until we built our own clothing empire."

"Exhaustion, a great cause for sex death." Blaine mumbled.

"Pssh, I will never be too tired to for sex." Santana declared, turning to Quinn to make sure she was listening, "Ya hear that, Fabray?"

"Loud and clear." Quinn smirked before turning to start a conversation with Mercedes.

Not long after Santana's eyes wandered, they coming to a stop at the bar where Rachel and Tina were, the two finally able to manage their way to the front to put their order in, Santana watching with disgust as the same guy from the dance floor wiggled his way next to Rachel.

"Oh, no me gusta." Santana muttered her body tensing as she watched, Rachel being polite as she entertained him, while the guy leaned in far too close.

"What?" Blaine questioned as he followed Santana's line of vision and climbed out off of the couch, "Oh, I'll go help them with the drinks."

Santana began to get up and follow, but she felt a hand wrap around her arm, keeping her in place, "Santana, it's fine. Blaine is going to help them." Quinn assured her.

"He's getting too close." Santana observed the music nothing but background noise as the scene unfolded a few feet from her, feeling Quinn's hand cup her cheek trying to guide her attention away from the current interaction. She wasn't particularly fond of anyone creeping on any of her friends, but the fact that Blaine had already gone over there to handle things, put her mind at ease. She had no doubt that he'd handle things better than Santana would too, as in, zero fist fights breaking out.

"San, please don't." Quinn warned her, "Rachel is a big girl, she can handle this and by the looks of it, she is perfectly okay." She said nodding over to the Broadway beauty, who was blushing and lightly laughing while the guy she was talking to paid for her drink, Blaine finally arriving and making sure Tina and Rachel were okay. "It's a fun night out remember?"

Santana looked back over to the interaction, rolling her eyes, but she nodded and shifted closer to Quinn, leaning into her when the blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I worry." Santana shrugged.

"I know, and I think it's absolutely endearing. You're protective, but sometimes more so than you should be." Quinn stated, leaning her head against hers, "Stay here with us, please?"

"Fine." Santana mumbled and tilted her head up slightly to brush her lips against Quinn's, who accepted them.

"Thank you." Quinn smiled about to deepen the kiss, but Santana quickly pulled away to keep her eye on Rachel, who was sipping her free beverage, but also showing signs of repulsion as the guy kept on talking to her. Every time Rachel backed up, the guy took a step forward and soon his grimy hand was resting on Rachel's lower back and to Santana's horror Blaine and Tina had become distracted by some friends of theirs.

"Blaine is useless!" Santana gestured with her hand, watching as Rachel tried to respectfully decline him, trying to duck out from under his arm to head back to the table but to no avail, things taking a turn for the worse when she watched the guy's grubby hand slip down and fully grab Rachel's ass. "Okay, I'm going over there." She informed them, successfully slipping out from Quinn's clutch, marching over to the bar, Quinn, Mercedes and Kurt hot on her heels.

"Oh, shit. Things are about to get real." Mercedes smirked with a small swarm of giddiness, excited she was about to see Santana in action.

Once she made it to her destination, Santana bravely grabbed the guy's wrist yanking it off of Rachel, "You can take your filthy mitts off of her. Learn how to take a hint, Bill Cosby, she's denying you, so back away before I end you."

"She came up to me." The guy lied as he raised his hands in defense.

"I beg your pardon!?" Rachel gasped while taking a step forward, accidentally pushing Santana into him a little, "I did no such thing!"

During this time, another female approached them, her arm wrapping possessively around the guy, "Could you all do me a favour and back off my boyfriend!"

"Here we go." Quinn mumbled watching as the fire blazed in Santana's eye. She reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, knowing it wasn't going to stop her from doing anything, but she had to try.

"Your boyfriend is a dirty cheat." Santana argued, "You might want to rethink your relationship."

"And you might want to mind your own business." The woman said while she stepped in front of her boyfriend and took a step closer to Santana, while Quinn took a step in front of Santana, her hand on her chest, their eyes locking, "Let's leave, now."

"In a minute." Santana said, her eyes leaving Quinn's, so she could zero in on the girl threatening her, the boyfriend whispering words of encouragement in her ear.

"Santana, Rachel is fine, let's drop it and go." Quinn pleaded.

Rachel leaned into Kurt, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, her voice loud enough to be heard, "Santana, I assure you I'm fine, we can go."

"Oh, this blonde is ruining all of fun." The woman said reaching out to tap Quinn's shoulder. "I think I want to fight her instead."

Quinn shook her head, looking over her shoulder to throw the woman some shade, "Don't touch me." She mumbled and quickly looked back up at Santana, "Ready?"

Santana nodded, but just as everyone was about to leave, Quinn felt two hands on her back and soon she was stumbling, bumping into a stranger, his drink spilling all over her dress.

"I _said_ I want to fight the blonde." The woman announced, her arms crossed over her chest, her boyfriend proudly standing behind her.

Quinn's eyes went dark, her jaw clenched as she turned around. Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Rachel looking on in shock, while Blaine's arms wrapped around Santana's waist to keep her from attacking, but little did everyone know, someone also should have been holding Quinn back.

"So let me show you what this blonde can do!" Quinn taunted her finger coming up to snap in her face and in one swift motion she jumped forward, successful in throwing the first punch, giving the woman exactly what she wanted.

"Oh shit!" Santana's eyes went wide, quickly scrambling forward to help actually break it up not wanting Quinn to get hurt, Blaine quickly stepping into action as well since no one else seemed to want the fight to stop.

"The poor girl, she had no idea who she was dealing with." Kurt mused as he sipped his drink, watching as Quinn kicked the girl's ass.

"HBIC." Mercedes said, Kurt and her sharing a high five.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn's hand was tightly squeezing Santana's as she huddled into Blaine and the group of friends headed out of the club, finding a quiet area near an alley, Quinn holding her head as she pulled away.

"You kicked her ass, Q!" Santana happily said reaching up to try and hold her head to examine any damage that was done to her girlfriend, but Quinn had pushed her hands away.

"Do you need to go to the hospital, Quinn?" Rachel offered, coming up to resume what Santana was trying to do seconds before, Santana's eyebrows creasing with confusion when Quinn actually let Rachel examine her. "Your eye is broken!"

"Nothing has changed in the dramatic department. You can't break an eye, Rachel." Mercedes said coming over to look, whistling at the sight, "It will be black though."

"I'm not going to the hospital." Quinn muttered, wincing as Rachel gently brushed her thumb under her cheek. "She could have sustained a fracture."

"Let me see." Santana demanded, but Quinn held her hand up to her, stopping her from approaching.

"I'm fine, Santana."

Tina came over to stand on the other side of Rachel, "Probably should go home and put some ice on that."

"I'll get you guys a cab." Blaine offered.

Soon, Rachel, Quinn and Santana were all in a cab heading back to their apartment building, Mercedes heading back to her hotel, Tina, Blaine and Kurt all heading home as well. Santana sat next to Quinn helplessly, the atmosphere gloomy and quiet, a small feeling of dread sitting in the pit of Santana's stomach since Quinn kept deny her touches and barley looked at her.

After the silent ride back to the apartment, and they were all on the elevator, Rachel finally broke the silence.

"What if you have a concussion?" Rachel asked with fret, reaching out and taking Quinn's hand in both of hers, Quinn's knuckles bruised and bloody, "What about your hand!?"

"Rachel, I'm fine." Quinn said with annoyance, eager to get home, pop some pills and go to sleep.

Rachel sighed as the elevator dinged and the three of them exited onto their floor, Rachel keeping in step with Quinn, "I apologize our night had turned into one of chaos."

"It's not your fault, Rachel." Quinn assured her as they came to a stop at their apartment doors, Quinn fishing her keys out.

Rachel sighed with defeat, still feeling terrible for how the night turned out, even if it was all caused by a complete stranger, "I'm right across the hall, so please, don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"Thank you, Rachel." Quinn nodded, her eyes landing on Santana momentarily, before focusing back on the shorter girl in front of her, "Could you please excuse us? I need to speak with Santana alone."

"Of course." Rachel said, giving Quinn a hug and then turning to embrace Santana, before heading into her own apartment.

Quinn unlocked her door, stepping inside, quickly turning to keep Santana from entering, "You can go home."

Santana's mouth fell open with shock, her eyes widening at the sudden instruction, confused about what she had done wrong, "Quinn!" Santana shouted stepping forward to push the door all the way open, guiding Quinn inside, "Nuh uh, we're not doing this, you're not shutting me out because you're pissed at me about something."

"About _something_?" Quinn questioned and moved aside to allow Santana in, slamming the door shut before spinning around to face Santana, and then proceeded to point to her wounded eye, "Hello!"

" _I_ didn't punch you!"

"But you provoked it, Santana!"

"I was helping Rachel."

"She doesn't always need you to save her." Quinn said as she headed for the kitchen, pulling the freezer open in search of ice, "I understand you worry, but, fuck!" she pulled an ice tray out and slammed the freezer door shut, the sound causing Santana to jump a little. "Now, I have to go into work Monday morning looking like I'm a part of fight club. Very fucking professional!"

"Quinn..." Santana began as she walked over to her, "I'm sorry."

Quinn let out a long breath as she filled a Ziploc bag with ice. She was still fuming, she may have been the one in the fight, but for some reason she was still angry with Santana and she was in pain, which only made her emotions that much worse. She took a few minutes to calm down and once she felt Santana standing closely next to her she spoke, "You know how you wanted your own apartment?" She questioned watching Santana nod through the corner of her eye, "You can go sleep there tonight."

"Quinn! I didn't even do anything, you're being ridiculous!"

"I just want to be alone, Santana." Quinn pleaded as she put the ice tray back in the freezer, tears stinging her eyes due to frustration and pain.

"Quinn, no, let me take care of you." Santana offered, "I can hold the ice to your eye and clean up your hand."

Quinn shook her head, "I'll call you tomorrow."

"It's almost three in the morning!" Santana tried again, watching as Quinn headed for the bathroom.

"Goodnight, Santana." Quinn said and then shut the bathroom door.

"Fuck!" Santana shouted looking around the empty apartment baffled by what had just happened. She mumbled in Spanish as she turned and left, making sure to close the door as hard as she could to let Quinn know she wasn't happy.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

After a sleepless night due to worrying about Quinn, Santana finally pulled herself out of bed and got ready for the day, heading out to the store before making her way over to Quinn's apartment, hoping she wouldn't be rejected since her lovely girlfriend wasn't answering her calls or text messages.

Quinn was bundled up on the couch with blankets, an ice pack on her face, while a movie played out in front of her, too zoned out to really know what was going on. She sighed when there was a knock on her door, debating on whether or not to ignore it, but when the pounding grew louder she stood up and headed over to pull it open, finding Santana on the other side with various items clutched in her hands.

"Hey." Santana shyly greeted her, her face falling at the sight of the bruise surrounding her eye. "Please let me in, Q. Let's talk."

Quinn simply nodded and moved aside, Santana quickly slipping by her and heading over to the kitchen, Quinn following her.

"I brought you flowers..." Santana said holding up a bundle of roses and setting them aside, "And chocolate, and ice cream, it's cold, so you know, you can hold it up to your ice between bites..." She offered with a small smile and began digging through the bag again, "I bought you some Motrin for the pain, and make up, maybe we can try and cover it up before you go to work tomorrow, and –"

"Santana, stop." Quinn said walking around the table to place her hand on her arm, "Come sit down."

Santana followed her as they headed over to the couch, talking fast as she replied, "I don't want to take a break or anything, Quinn. It's just our first fight we can work through this."

Quinn offered her a gentle smile, reaching for her hand as they sat across from each other on the couch, "I don't want to take a break." She quietly began, "And us as a couple, trust me I know there are going to be plenty more fights in our future." She teased and she watched as relief had suddenly washed over Santana and she visibly relaxed, "I know last night wasn't your entire fault, but a lot of things did upset me."

Santana nodded and she shifted a little closer, "Tell me. I'm listening."

"For one, I don't mind going out and having fun with our friends, but also I'm at the age where I'd prefer a quiet night in..." Quinn said, trying to choose her words wisely, unsure how Santana was going to perceive them. "Santana, I have a great career and right now it's only getting better and I'm making more money. I'm tired when I come home at night and all I want is to come home to you, but –"

"But I'm renting my own apartment." Santana nodded with understanding, "So part of your anger last night towards me had to do with that? Bottled up frustration?"

"Yes." Quinn honestly answered, "I want to have quiet nights in with you or adventurous weekends where we go on wine tours, or head out of state for the weekend..." She sighed not sure if what she was explaining was making any sense, so finally she just concluded it to, "I had enough of the drinking and partying, I'm ready to settle."

Santana sat back, not sure how to reply, but she nodded, the thought of adding another marriage to her list scaring her. She trusted Quinn wholeheartedly, but for some reason her stomach felt queasy.

"I really wish you would have discussed the whole apartment thing with me before you went out and found one." Quinn said, "I understand you want to take things slow given your history, but it also made me really question a lot of things."

"Quinn, I am in this relationship one hundred and ten percent." Santana promised, "We can still do all of those things together-"

"I know." Quinn cut her off giving her hand a squeeze, "Santana, what I want to know is, it doesn't have to be anytime soon, we can follow the steps and move in together first, but I just have to know if you could see yourself getting married again."

Santana sat back, swallowing hard as she registered Quinn's words. She used to be settled with Brittany and she wanted to start a family with her, until her heart was torn into pieces. Her entire perspective changed after that, up until Quinn somehow managed to win her heart and repair it. She still needed a little bit of time and maybe she went about it the wrong way by going out and finding an apartment on her own without discussing it with Quinn first, but as she sat and thought about it, and the more their relationship grew deeper and more meaningful, it started to become easier for her to clearly see a bright and happy future with Quinn. One that felt right and would last forever.

Santana finally cleared her throat, her eyes locking with Quinn's, "Just one thing..."

"Anything."

"I ain't purposing." Santana said a small twinkle in her eye, "But I will say yes."

Quinn's heart fluttered in her chest, the pain in her eye momentarily disappearing once a wave of happiness washed over her, "Done!"

"And it has to be grand and romantic!" Santana said, "I'm talking choirs singin', doves flyin', flash mobs dancin'"

"Ew, no, Santana, there will be no flash mob." Quinn lightly laughed, shifting closer to wrap her arms around Santana, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek and then sat back, pursing her lips with guilt, finally adding, "I'm sorry about last night."

"Me too." Santana said, reaching up to gently cup her cheek, brushing her thumb gently over the injured area, "How about you let Santana take care of you for the rest of the day, huh?"

"I'd really like that." Quinn quietly answered.

Not long after Santana was lying on the couch with Quinn on top of her, holding an ice pack to Quinn's eye while they watched a movie, Quinn on the verge of falling asleep since she didn't get much last night, but she was soon pulled out of her sleepy state when Santana spoke.

"So, Quinn, let me ask _you_ something."

"Mmhm?"

"Would you ever get pregnant again?"

Quinn's breath hitched in her throat, suddenly feeling very awake as she lifted her head to look down at her girlfriend, wondering if there was going to be a punch line, but when there wasn't she managed to mumble out a, "Huh?"

"I was thinking we could each take turns and carrying." Santana explained, "We'll probably have to start saving now, but, I could picture us with two kids."

"Santana." Quinn squeaked, leaning down to crash their lips together, the two of them moaning for two different reasons. Quinn excited by what Santana had just brought up, while Santana simply enjoyed the lip lock, "I love you."

"So I take that as a yes?" Santana smirked with a lick of her lips.

"A fuck yes." Quinn answered leaning back down to bring their lips back together.

* * *

 **I'm thinking only about 1-2 more chapters left - with a possible squeal in the future.**

 **And sorry for the update delays - work and my health have been kicking my ass lately lol.**


	15. Chapter 15

**... and by squeal I totally meant sequel lol! - thanks for putting up with a lot of my mistakes haha I love you guys.**

* * *

Chapter 15

When the credits started to roll on the television show they were watching, Quinn lifted her head up from Santana's chest, smiling at the sight of her half-asleep girlfriend, which prompted her to lean down and reward her with a quick kiss just for being so adorable. It was her favourite sight to see, Santana peaceful and quiet and cuddly. She knew Santana had secret guilty pleasures, but the one Quinn was surprised most about, was how much Santana loved to cuddle. Quinn had to wonder if it was just because it was an excuse to sneak in extra gropes, but either way Quinn didn't mind, because she loved it just as much.

"Want to watch one more episode?" Santana wearily asked as she reached for the remote, ready to hit the button, but stopped when Quinn began to get up, "Bathroom break?"

"I have to go, San. I work tomorrow." Quinn answered, smiling when she felt two strong arms wrap around her to keep her in place.

"No..." Santana quietly whimpered, "Spend the night."

Quinn rolled her eyes due to the request. Santana wanted her own place, but she was always the one begging to be together, not that Quinn minded, she loved being with Santana, but it just made no sense and only brought up feelings of irritation since Santana insisted that they live apart for a while.

"All of the things I need for work in the morning are at my place." Quinn explained as she tried to push herself in an upright position, but Santana's arms only tightened around her waist, "Plus, I'm on my period."

"What does your period have to do with anything?" Santana mumbled as she turned them onto their sides so Quinn was pinned against the back of the couch and herself, "Just because I want you to spend the night doesn't mean I only want sex from you." She nuzzled into Quinn's neck, leaving a few kisses behind, "I likes to get my cuddles on."

Quinn smiled, relaxing into Santana's embrace, letting out a slow content breath as she ran her fingers through Santana's hair, "I know you do." She smirked, "I love it too, San, but I still have work bright and early."

"Fine." Santana said through a long drawn out breath, tilting her head up so they were eye to eye, "Can you at least give me a little more mack before you leave."

"Oh, so you can swoon me into staying?" Quinn teased, her nose gently rubbing against Santana's.

Santana shrugged, "Hey, not my fault if I'm a great kisser, so great that it can persuade you to stay."

Quinn lightly laughed and then leaned forward, her eyes fluttering shut when her lips met Santana's plump skillful ones. Santana smiled into the kiss, cuddling into Quinn a little more, feeling a little needy since she was heading home soon, suddenly second guessing her whole idea about them living apart for a while. However she was already three months into her lease and they had already begun looking for a place to buy together, so she figured she could keep that little secret to herself and the next three months would fly by.

Santana quietly moaned into the kiss, her hand slipping up the front of Quinn's shirt, pausing as it reached the underwire of her bra, waiting for a protest, but when she didn't get one she carried on and gave her breast a small squeeze, which caused her to pull away from the kiss, looking down at Quinn's chest, allowing her hand to experimentally cup the boob it was on. Her eyebrows came together with thought, palming and then squeezing, but more in an inspection sort of way and less in the pleasurable kind of way.

"Um..." Quinn's forehead creased with confusion, looking down at where Santana's hand was occupied and then up at her girlfriend, "San, is this a breast examination?"

"They're bigger." Santana whispered with fascination.

Quinn rolled her eyes, trying to bite back a small smile, "How could you even possibly know that?"

Santana finally made eye contact with her, her perfectly shaped eyebrow arching with confidence, "Trust me, Quinn, I be knownin when my girl's boobs are different, especially when they increase in size."

"Oh, stop, Santana." Quinn said as she sat up and pushed Santana's hand away, not about to admit that she had gained a few pounds and Santana was absolutely right about her boob growth, "Total mood killer, by the way." She informed her as she stood up and headed to Santana's bedroom.

"I just gave you a compliment." Santana said as she stood up to follow Quinn into the bedroom, "How is that a mood killer?" She asked as she watched Quinn go through her closet, "And what are you doing?"

Quinn pulled out an oversized grey hoodie with a kickboxing logo on it and pulled it on turning to face Santana's crossed arms and tilted head. "What?"

"Q, I don't own very many hoodies and the ones I do own you have! Don't you have your own?" Santana asked, "You even have my old Cheerios one – and guess what? You own that same hoodie!"

"But they don't smell like you anymore." Quinn mumbled as she walked towards her and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then left the bedroom.

"Then return them, you cliché version of a high school teenager!" Santana shouted as she spun on her heels and followed her. Quinn may have been playing the formula roll of a girlfriend you'd typically see in those high school television shows and movies, but once Santana's eyes found Quinn's ass her roll immediately went to perverted boyfriend. Quinn had shown up in yoga pants and a t-shirt, rare for her, but she was happy she did, because not only were her boobs bigger, but Santana was pretty sure Quinn's butt was growing as well. "Fuck..." she muttered with desire as she picked up her pace to meet Quinn at the door, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her close.

"Talk about mood swings." Quinn smirked jumping when she felt a hand firmly grab her ass, "San!"

"Is it possible that you're achieving even more good looks?" Santana mused as both her hands slid down to Quinn's butt, massaging it gently and leaning down to press her lips against her neck.

Quinn tilted her head to the side, allowing Santana more room to roam, smiling due to her girlfriend's welcomed affectionate side, while bravely asking, "Santana, do you think you made a mistake when you moved in here on your own?"

Santana's teeth delicately sank into Quinn's neck, scraping them against her skin and then soothing the area with her tongue, happy to hear Quinn's breath hitch in her throat. She licked her lips when she pulled back, hearing exactly what Quinn had asked her, but obviously she went ahead and played dumb, "Huh?"

Quinn cleared her throat, resting her hands on her shoulders trying to compose herself, because she was very close to spending the night if Santana kept up her actions, "You've been kind of needy lately."

Santana gasped and shook her head, "Have not."

"I didn't say I disapproved of it." Quinn smiled and leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips, pulling away before Santana could draw her in for more, "I just think you secretly regret not moving in with me."

"I think you secretly think that, because you were mad about it." Santana taunted with a sly smile, although she had to wonder how the hell Quinn knew her so well, but she definitely wasn't about to be admitting to that.

"Repressed emotions never lead to anything good." Quinn informed her as she pulled open the door.

"You sound like Rachel."

"So I must be right then." Quinn winked and shouldered her purse and headed into the hallway "I'll see you Saturday. Bye, I love you."

"Bye. I love you too." Santana said peeking her head out the door so she could watch Quinn head to the elevator, waving one last time before disappearing inside.

Not long after Quinn arrived home and she finished getting ready for bed, she grabbed her phone and climbed into bed, smiling when Santana's name flashed on the lock screen, opening it up to read her message.

 **Santana: What are you wearing?**

Quinn lightly laughed as she read the message, playfully rolling her eyes as she shimmed under the covers and then typed her reply.

 **Quinn: Really, San? How old are we?**

 **Santana: Old enough to still have fun with some sexy – texting.**

 **Quinn: You know what I'm wearing.**

 **Santana: Nothing? *Wink emoji***

 **Santana: Send nudes**

 **Quinn: Goodnight, Santana.**

 **Santana: Come on, Q.**

Quinn stared at her phone for a few minutes, chewing her bottom lip with thought. She looked under the covers and down at the hoodie and boy shorts she was currently wearing, and then finally lifted her shirt up, snapping a picture of her bare chest, blushing lightly as she examined the picture and decided to get up to choose a different angle. After a few attempts she finally approved of one and climbed back into bed, sending the picture to her girlfriend, anxiously waiting until her phone buzzed with Santana's reply. Her heart pounded with giddiness and excitement, something Santana was only ever able to help her attain, grateful that even though they were adults, Santana was still able to make her feel playful sometimes. It was refreshing, especially when her career forced her to be serious 40 hours a week.

She grinned when her phone buzzed, chewing her bottom lip as she slid open the message to read her response.

 **Santana: Fuck yeah. Now this is a picture to fall asleep with. LOVE YOU *heart emoji***

Quinn smiled and shook her head, happy she was able to please her girlfriend with something as simple as a text, her thumbs tapping the screen to send her reply.

 **Quinn: I'm going to sleep now. Love you too.**

 **Santana: Goodnight.**

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was the middle of the work week and Quinn sat behind her desk, finishing up what she was working on, smiling when she noticed the time. The past month was a long one, putting in a lot of hard work and evenings into a case she was working on, while also trying to spend time with Santana. But it finally all came to a triumphant end, her firm winning the case, Quinn getting most of the praise for her intellect and drive into making it all come together.

As she finished up what she was doing and shut her laptop down, she began packing up her things, happy she'd be able to get to go home early today and the rest of the week, which would no doubt be time spent with Santana. She let out a content breath and stood up, about to head out of the office when the intercom on her phone went off.

"Ms. Fabray, can you please come to my office?"

Quinn halted in her spot, the sound of her boss' voice causing her to panic. He was an incredible guy to work for. He treated her equally among her male colleagues, which said a lot when you worked in corporate America. She respected him greatly, she just still couldn't grasp his demeanour and dry sense of humor and the tone of his voice had worry washing all over her and most importantly it looked like she wouldn't be heading home early after all.

Quinn reached out with a nervous finger, clearing her throat before she pressed the intercom button, "Be right there." She answered and then straightened her back, running her fingers through her hair a few times before quickly making her way out of her office and on the path down the long hallway to her boss, trying to avoid all the curious looks she was getting, deciding to focus her attention the sound her heels were making as they clicked against the floor with every stride she took.

Once she reached the door she softly knocked, entering the office when her boss smiled and waved her in.

"Have a seat." He said as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his protruding stomach, the middle button labouring to keep his suit jacket closed.

"What can I do for you?" Quinn asked as she took a seat in front of the desk, memories flashing back to her times sitting across from Sue Sylvester and suddenly she wasn't so nervous anymore. If anyone could handle Coach Sylvester and live to tell about it, you could handle anything, especially an overweight balding middle aged lawyer.

"First of all, I want to thank you for all the hard work you have done and accomplished this past month." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, a small smile resting on his thin lips, "You have always been a great asset to our firm. You show passion and discipline." He reached out and grabbed a folder, "I'm just going to cut to the chase, Ms. Fabray, we want to relocate you."

"Huh?" Quinn breathed out not at all expecting the sudden news, her informal response causing her eyes to widen a little with embarrassment, so she tried again, "Pardon me, sir? Relocate me? I thought I was – I don't understand, you said I was excelling –"

He's deep laugh cut her off, which only caused more confusion for the blonde, "We want to make you partner at the Boston location. Not as a punishment, it's a promotion and well to be perfectly frank, for the needs of the business. We need someone strong headed out there, brave, confident, someone who isn't afraid to take chances."

Quinn was definitely beyond flattered, she loved Boston, but she also had a lot of things to love about New York too, Santana being on the top of that list.

"This isn't quite the reaction I was hoping for." He said, the smile still evident on his face, but there was a hint of disappointment in the tone of his voice, "We have someone else in mind, but you were our first choice. It's an amazing opportunity, pay raise, better benefits package –"

Quinn swallowed hard, her mind swirling as he carried on. She nodded, "I appreciate it and I am so overjoyed by the news."

"But..." He smiled knowingly and sat back in his chair, absentmindedly playing with his wedding ring, "Take the rest of the week off, Quinn, talk it over with Santana and give me an answer Monday morning."

Quinn let out a slow breath, their eyes locking as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth and he offered her a kind smile.

"I've been married for over 30 years. We've moved to three different states before finally settling, sure it shakes things up a bit, but things always have a way of working out." He assured her and stood up, Quinn mimicking him, "There is no pressure, if you want to stay here in New York City I won't hold it against you, but making partner at your age in this short amount of time, you'll be laughing by the time you hit your forties. Nobody hates the idea of an early retirement." He winked and then held out his hand, Quinn quickly reaching out to shake it.

"Thank you." Quinn said and then stood straight, relaxing a little more, "Thank you." She said again, deciding that her first reaction to the news wasn't very approving, she added, "I really am grateful and thrilled for the opportunity you have presented me."

"I'll see you Monday morning." He smiled and sat back down.

"See you Monday." Quinn smiled and then turned and left his office to gather her things, her mind clouded with thoughts on how she was going to tell Santana and what her reaction was going to be.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Santana sat on Rachel's couch as the petite brunette breezed around her apartment getting ready for a show. After Quinn had informed her that she'd be home early from work today, she decided to head over to Rachel's to wait for her, her mind elsewhere as Rachel chatted on about how someone missed their mark during the previous night's performance.

"We thought it was going to be a disaster..." Rachel lightly laughed at the memory, usually one to be professional to the max, she found herself to be amused by the whole thing, "Even the audience members enjoyed the little faux pas." She paused and turned to look at her best friend, finding her dazed with a goofy grin on her lips. "Santana, are you even listening?"

Santana licked her lips, her head tilting slightly as her eyes focused on the coffee table in front of her, her imagination obviously keeping her occupied, "Do you think Quinn has gotten more...juicy?"

Rachel's eyebrows came together with confusion, her lips pursing with thought as she tried to decipher the term, "I apologize, Santana, but I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean by that."

"Thick..." Santana answered as she finally came around and turned to look up at Rachel, "You know." She slyly smirked as her hands outlined an invisible curvy woman in front of her, winking, "Ya know?"

Rachel nodded with understanding, finally able to put everything together as she answered with a matter of fact tone, "She's stress eating."

"Wait, you've noticed too?"

"She just spent a month working on that case, plus you two have been looking for a place to live together and you and I both know she doesn't exactly make the healthiest choices when she doesn't have time to meal prep." Rachel explained and hummed with thought, "It's a surprise bad habit I would have never thought Quinn would acquire, but I suppose with a demanding job like hers it makes sense to make some things easier, cooking being one of them. As in instead of cooking she eats fast food or whatever else is easy and quick to make. I think it'll be great once you two move in together, you can make sure she has healthy meals and she's getting enough sleep and is exercising..."

"Mmhm, I'm not moving in with her to be her mother." Santana hummed, "But I am seriously digging her new figure."

"Quinn is extremely beautiful." Rachel agreed as she finished up the last of what she had to do, "Well I'm off to work, nobody likes a late arrival! Thank you for the quick visit; let's do dinner next week, okay?"

Santana stood up, pulling the spare key to Quinn's apartment out of her pocket so she could wait for her over there, "Yes, dinner." She said as her and Rachel exited the place.

"Oh and Santana?" Rachel began as she gave her a hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Don't tell Quinn she is _juicy_. I don't think it'd go over very well."

"Oh, god, no." Santana shook her head, "I can feel the palm of her hand against my face as we speak."

Rachel lightly laughed, "Enjoy your evening."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was nearly three when Quinn arrived home, greeted with a pleasant surprise when Santana stood up from the couch. Even though she had some big news to share with her the kind that was causing her stomach to twist with nerves, she would never get tired of coming home to Santana and she hoped that this news wouldn't affect their relationship after she shared it.

Santana smiled as she eyed Quinn, who had a slice of pizza in one hand and a Starbucks drink in the other. Leave it to Rachel for being right about the stress eating observation.

"I thought we were going out for dinner?" Santana asked as she slowly approached her.

"Huh?" Quinn questioned and then swallowed the bite she took once she entered the door, "Oh, this is nothing, the vendor is right outside the apartment building. The smell was intoxicating I couldn't pass it up."

"Uh huh." Santana nodded as she followed Quinn over to the kitchen table, waiting until she set her stuff down before wrapping her arms around her from behind, one hand reaching out to grab the drink Quinn was holding, trying a sip, "Oh, wow." She mumbled and set it on the table, grimacing due to the taste, "This is pure sugar."

Quinn shrugged abandoning the pizza on the table and then turned so she could wrap her arms around Santana's neck.

"I was browsing more condos today – " Santana began, "In Manhattan. They're small, but if that's the area you want we're going to have to sacrifice a lot of space just to be in that part of the city."

Quinn's heart sank a little, the fact that Santana was actually researching places for them to share together in _New York City_ making this whole Boston news that much harder.

"What?" Santana asked reading the expression on her girlfriend's face, "Would you rather have more space? Blaine and Kurt live in a nice area, we could probably get more bang for our buck –as they say- in that part of the city."

"San..." Quinn sighed, her throat beginning to tighten the more Santana spoke of living in New York, her palms suddenly sweaty and her heartbeat picking up pace. She swallowed hard, trying to come up with the perfect way to share the news. Wanting the position so bad, but if she had to be honest with herself, if Santana didn't want to move, she would turn it down and stay and she almost hated herself for thinking that way.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked as her arms tightened around her waist. Quinn was so excited about finding a place together; she thought for sure this topic would move things in a positive direction, like towards the bedroom, hoping for a little appetizer before dinner.

"I made partner today."

Santana gasped, her grin over taking her face as she squeezed her in tight, "Quinn! That's amazing! Why didn't you call and tell me you loser!" She teased with a small laugh, but soon her smile faltered and she pulled back when her girlfriend didn't seem to be celebrating along with her, "Um... hello?" She questioned studying the blonde's face, "I know I don't exactly work in your field, but it doesn't take a genius to know that making partner is a good thing."

Quinn rolled her eyes, trying to hold back tears as she slipped out of Santana's embrace and fell into one of the chairs with a thud, reaching out to grab her half eaten pizza.

Santana stood there for a few long seconds; beyond befuddled, looking around the apartment for some sort of sign that maybe she missed some kind of important piece of information since Quinn was acting the exact opposite of happy.

"Quinn, you're being rewarded for all your hard work and yet you look like someone shot your dog." Santana questioned and then slipped into Quinn's lap so she was sitting astride her thighs. "What's going on?"

Quinn let out a slow breath, leaning back in her chair as she slowly chewed her food as a way to waste time, avoiding Santana's eyes. But all too soon she felt two soft fingers on her chin, forcing her to look Santana in the eye, her raven haired beauty offering her nothing but a supportive expression one that was able to calm her down without Santana even having to use her words. She sighed and swallowed her bite, finally disclosing the reason why she was bummed out, "They want me to move back to Boston."

"Oh." Santana whispered her body deflating a little due to the added information to Quinn's seemingly good news.

"So – I obviously have to say no." Quinn informed her after reading the look on Santana's face, which so far told her she wasn't really that keen on the idea. She reached out to grab the Starbucks Frappuccino double shot espresso drink, washing away the scratch in her throat that held back her frustration and tears. She almost wanted to laugh, it would have been a bitter one though, because it always seemed like just as she was getting her life on track and in the right positive happy direction, something had to come in and block her way.

Quinn had always communicated so much more with her face and eyes than she ever had with words, and Santana had learned how to read that secret language long ago. Still, parsing things wasn't always easy, especially when Quinn was under stress, as she clearly was now. Life had a way of throwing Quinn curveballs, usually at the exact moment she began to feel anything resembling happy, or settled, or normal. Getting past those unexpected obstacles had made her the strong, confident and capable woman that she loved so much, but it was clear to Santana that this latest roadblock seemed nearly insurmountable to Quinn. The way her teeth worried at her lower lip, the uncertain set of her shoulders, the way her head tilted questioningly to one side...it all told Santana that Quinn felt as though it was not only her own personal happiness that was threatened now, but Santana's as well. Santana, for her part, considered this a near impossibility. Her happiness was so inextricably tied to Quinn's that she couldn't fathom the idea of anything ever coming between them. If the choice was between staying here and moving elsewhere because of the promotion Quinn had been offered, Santana knew what she would choose, without hesitation. The idea that Quinn could possibly think otherwise was incomprehensible to her. Love sometimes meant sacrifice, sure - but Santana was not about to let Quinn sacrifice her dream of partnership for the sake of their relationship. No matter what it took, they would make it work. Quinn was not going to be the only person who had to sacrifice in this relationship - not if Santana had anything to say about it.

"Let's move to Boston."

When the words registered with her ears, Quinn sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her hazels finally making contact with Santana's devoted brown ones, "What?"

Santana offered her a genuine smile and gave her a nod, "Let's move to Boston, Quinn."

"But-but what about your job and Rachel." Quinn motioned in the direction of the apartment across the hallway, "Blaine, Kurt and Tina are here. It's nice to have close friends around."

"And so they'll be a train ride away." Santana shrugged, reaching out to take the greasy slice of pizza out of Quinn's hand before she took another bite, tossing it out of reach, "Plus, Q... I know my job is great, I work from home a lot, but I'm not really digging it anymore. They want me to write about things that I don't care about." She dramatically rolled her eyes as she sat up a little straighter, "And they keep trying to get me to write a bad review about Rachel's show. It's kind of funny because in the past you wouldn't even of had to pay me to do something like that, but I've come a long way since then, and I seriously just cannot do that to my little hobbit, I love her too much."

Quinn simply nodded waving off all the added information Santana was spilling, replying with a, "You're positive?" Quinn questioned with uncertainty, "I have until Monday to decide-"

Santana dipped her head down pressing her lips to Quinn's to show her how sure she was. She knew deep down that if Quinn was single she would have been on the next train to Boston in seconds. Santana was her only obstacle now and she was going to easily move out of her way, if only so she could walk with her hand in hand on this new journey. She felt Quinn's arms circle securely around her waist as the kiss slowed down and Santana pulled away, keeping their foreheads resting together, "I'm one hundred and ten percent positive."

Quinn tried to bite back a playful smile as she looked up at her girlfriend, her eyes zeroing in on her, "Did you do something bad, Santana? Are you trying to get away from someone?"

Santana lightly laughed as she stood up, winking as she played along, "You know me too well."

Quinn sprang up as well, a whole new joyful energy flowing through her, "I'm going to call my boss and let him know and then your mom and-"

"And!" Santana cut in, "You're telling Rachel."

Quinn's face suddenly fell, her eyes going wide, "That we're moving out of the city?" She asked and Santana nodded with a look of mischievous, "That-that I'm moving _you_ to Boston?"

"Uh-huh!" Santana snickered as she spun around on her heels and headed to the bedroom, "After we celebrate of course! I'm thinking scissor style."

"Shit." Quinn cursed reaching out to grab the high calorie drink, helping herself to a huge gulp and then headed in the direction of the bedroom, finding Santana already lying in bed. "Wow, someone is eager." Not that Quinn wasn't either, Santana had just agreed to move to Boston with her, she was actually surprised her own clothes were still on.

"Not only am I happy for you, but, Quinn please don't take this the wrong way, but you've gotten more...um how do I say it without sounding like a bitch-"

"Shut up, I know, San. I've gained a few pounds."

Santana licked her lips with an enthusiastic nod, her arms opening wide, "I want to get my hands all up on you, so please come over here right now."

Quinn's cheeks heated up to a hue of pink, setting her drink down before sauntering over to the bed, "You're not – you're not turned off?" She asked, feeling a little insecure and a little guilty for having blamed her low libido on being tired, when really she was a little ashamed about how she looked.

"Hell no." Santana said as she crawled to the edge of the bed and sat up on her knees, "I want those in my face-" She instructed as she pointed to Quinn's breasts and your ass in my hands, ASAP. You've deprived me long enough, I will always think you're beautiful, so come aboard and let Sanni take care of you." She winked as she grabbed Quinn's hands and tugged her on top of her.

"It's only ten pounds, I can lose it." Quinn shyly informed her as she straddled Santana's waist, resting her forearms on either side of her head.

"What did I just say?" Santana smirked and then leaned up to press a quick kiss to her lips.

Quinn smiled, "I know." She whispered and then connected their lips together again, this time not parting, keeping it slow and tender and full of love.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Quinn and Santana sat on the coffee table across from Rachel who was seated on the couch, the Broadway beauty processing the news they just shared, watching as she fell back against the couch and looked off into the distance.

"Boston?" She questioned in a faint whisper, her expression twisting into one of wonder and confusion, almost like she was trying to solve a riddle to something. She hummed a small sigh, her attention finally falling onto Quinn, "When?"

"Next month..."

"I think it's so admirable that you have attainted such a position, Quinn. I am beyond happy for you." Rachel sweetly smiled, "However, I truly dislike how it's so far away."

"But it's not really." Quinn began to explain, quickly reaching out to take Rachel's hands in her own, "It's only a train ride away. We still saw each other when I lived there before remember? Why do things have to change now?"

"Well _now_ you live right across the hall!" Rachel declared, her eyes starting to gloss over with tears, which were soon narrowing in on Santana, "And _you_ already moved away!"

"Across the street." Santana rolled her eyes, which soon went wide when Rachel jumped from the couch and into her arms, hiding her face in her shoulder. "Whoa! Cálmate, pequeño"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Santana." Rachel sobbed, "I love having you two around."

"You'll still have Kurt, Blaine and Tina." Santana assured her, squeezing her tight and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, her heart sinking a little as well. Times certainly had changed since McKinley and if someone told her back in high school she'd be hugging Rachel Berry close, sad because they were going to be a train ride apart, she would have had Snixx end them on the spot. "I'm going to miss you too though." She whispered.

Quinn sighed as she watched the best friends, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder, "You guys it's not the end of the world. We'll plan weekend trips out here and we'll make sure we're together on every holiday!"

"Even Easter?" Rachel mumbled through her tears, opening her eyes to peer at Quinn.

Quinn offered her a genuine smile, reaching out to brush some of her bangs away from her face, "Even Easter."

Santana sucked in a sharp breath, it coming out raggedy as she declared, "St. Patrick's Day counts as a holiday too."

"And Canadian Thanksgiving." Rachel added.

"Jesus, do I need to leave you two alone?" Quinn asked surprised by their reaction, especially Santana who was acting so calm and collected almost seconds before, "Seriously, if there is something you two need to share, please come clean now before Santana and I move in together."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she pulled away from the embrace, moving to sit back on the couch, smiling when Santana followed her and took the empty spot next to her, "No, Quinn, you have nothing to worry about." She reached out and took Santana's hand, giving it a squeeze, "We've been through a lot together. I'm going to miss you two like crazy, but in the end, I am ultimately overjoyed you two have found each other and make each other happy. Just promise me we won't get too busy for each other."

"I promise." Quinn said.

"Plus, Quinn said I can be her stay at home trophy wife for a while until I find a new job, so I'll have more time to visit while she's working hard and bringing home the bacon." Santana smiled with a wiggle of her eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood, which seemed to work because Rachel lightly laughed, while Quinn playfully rolled her eyes.

"We have to actually be married for that to work, but, yes I did promise you that." Quinn admitted.

"So a month huh?" Rachel asked, "I'm going to have to come up with a friendship calendar and plan things for us to do before you leave me." A twinkle suddenly sparkled in her eye and she clasped her hands together, the gloom cloud that had appeared over her suddenly vanishing as she jumped up, "We can pretend we're tourists! How long have we lived here and we've never actually gone to a museum or went on the ferry or saw the Statue of Liberty up close!"

"Oh no, what is this, what have we done?" Santana asked as she watched the tiny diva begin to spout off ideas for them to do, while she blindly reached for Quinn's hand, pulling her on the couch for comfort.

Quinn smiled patting her hand against Santana's knee, "She's your best friend..." she reminded her while leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek, "Good luck."

"Oh, you are very much a part of this too, Quinn Fabray!"

Santana grinned and lightly jabbed her in the rib, "Haha!"

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Two months later, Santana and Quinn were settled into a fairly decent sized house in a quiet suburban area just outside of Boston. It wasn't a long commute to work for Quinn and everything was already up to date and modern to their liking. Open concept kitchen and living room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a front yard and backyard big enough Santana said to one day install a pool.

Santana climbed the stairs to their porch smiling as her hand slid across the railing, having been out for the day with Tina who had come for a visit while she _thought_ Quinn was at work.

"Baby?" Santana called as she entered the foyer of the house, hanging her jacket up and kicking her shoes off, "You home?"

"I'm up here." Quinn answered, "Come check out what I bought."

Santana followed Quinn's voice and climbed the stairs, walking to the end of the hall and turning into one of the guest bedrooms, her eyes going wide at the sight. Rose petals littered the floor, candles were strategically placed all over the room and Quinn was dressed in a tiny red lacy negligee while the song 'Take My Breath Away' played quietly in the background.

"Quinn?"

Quinn smiled as she slowly dropped to one knee, her hands shaking as she began to speak, "I know you wanted fancy, but I couldn't think of a better place to ask you than in our new home together. A place where we will be starting a new chapter and making new memories and I really wanted this to be a memory we share together in _our_ home." She said as she opened a little black box to show off the silver diamond ring, "I always hoped I would be a wife someday with the perfect career, house and kids, but I always had trouble finding a partner to achieve that with, until you. So, Santana Lopez, will you marry me?"

Santana gasped, tears already spilling down her cheeks, her heart pounding and her heart fluttering as she quickly walked over and knelt in front of Quinn, "This is perfect." Santana whispered, "Yes, yes, Quinn Fabray, I'll marry you."

Quinn took Santana's left hand in her own, and even though her hands were shaking she successfully slid the ring on her ring finger, the two admiring how perfect it sat.

"I knew this was going to eventually happen, but..." Santana sniffled as she wiped the tears streaking down her cheeks, "When it actually happens, wow." She lightly laughed, leaning into Quinn when the blonde wrapped her arms around her.

"So this was okay?" Quinn asked and shifted so she was sitting on the ground, tugging Santana between her legs, so her back was to her front, "Rachel helped me plan it-"

"Quinn, you put an expensive ring on my finger and you're the reason we get to live in this beautiful house together – all of this is beyond amazing." She assured her and turned her head, pressing a kiss to the underside of her chin, before turning her attention back to the ring on her finger, holding it up so they both could look at it.

"Your mom helped me pick it out." Quinn whispered turning her head to press a few kisses against Santana's temple, her arms tightening around her waist.

"I love it." Santana said while she carefully turned in Quinn's arms so she was kneeling between her legs, her expression serious and her stomach full of nerves.

Quinn leaned back on her hands, looking up at her unsure what kind of energy Santana was suddenly emitting. She could usually read Santana like a book, but right now she was giving off the vibe that she was scared, which was definitely unlike her, it was a rare emotion for Santana to have and it all of a sudden had Quinn concerned, because this was supposed to be a happy moment for them.

"Santana, what's wrong?"

Santana let out a slow shaky breath, her hands coming up to cup Quinn's cheeks. She was in this situation before, just because there was a ring on her finger it didn't mean it was suddenly happily ever after. Even though this time things were different and out of everyone in this entire world, Quinn Fabray managed to make her believe in love again and was able to put her broken heart back together, but a part of her was still a little scared.

"Quinn?"

Quinn reached out, resting her hands on Santana's hips, "What is it? Please tell me."

Santana leaned down so their lips were inches apart, whispering, "Please don't break my heart."

"Oh, Santana..." Quinn breathed out, the sound of her voice causing her heart flutter. She knew Santana wanted this, but maybe at the same time the both of them didn't realize that old wounds could possibly surface too as they took another big step in their relationship. "I will never - I don't even know how to put into words how much I love you. I – "

Santana leaned in, cutting her off with a kiss, their lips moving slowly, Santana leaning into her when she felt Quinn's arms securely wrap around her waist. Once Quinn's back was resting against the floor, Santana pulled back, brushing her fingers through Quinn's hair, "Show me how much you love me."

Quinn's fingers slid up Santana's back, holding her close, their eyes locking, offering her a look of trust and loyalty, "I will be happy to show you for the rest of our lives."

* * *

 **One more chapter left...**

 **Thanks to those who have stuck around and reviewed and liked and loved and all that jazz. :D**

 **And shout out to images-in-words for the little bit of help in this chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the long wait - enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16

It was late in the evening and Quinn and Santana were settled in bed. Quinn's back resting against a few pillows propped up against the headboard of their bed while Santana was cuddled into her side half asleep.

Quinn scrolled through her ipad, looking at wedding dresses, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose, her eyebrow rising when something caught her eye.

"San?" Quinn questioned quietly looking down at her fiancée who had slid down and curled herself around her upper thighs. A tan cheek pressed against a pale thigh, her arm resting lightly over her knees, while she dozed in and out, trying to focus on some weird Syfy movie on the small flat screen television in their bedroom. Quinn softly smiled as she peered at her love over the top of her thick black glasses, watching as Santana slowly stirred, Quinn's old black university t-shirt sliding up a little to reveal a peek at her abs, the duvet slipping down to reveal that Santana was only wearing panties, a sight Quinn always enjoyed seeing.

"Baby, I don't know how the lizard grew, but they need him to fight the giant spider." Santana mumbled and then pressed a kiss to Quinn's thigh, before slowly lifting herself up. "There's a replay at midnight."

Quinn offered her a sweet smile, taking pleasure in getting to witness a sleepy Santana, one of her favourite things. "San, I wasn't even paying attention to the movie and it's definitely not something I would like to re-watch at midnight."

"Hmm." Santana nodded stretching lightly, noticing the ipad Quinn was holding, "What are you doing then?" she asked through a yawn, her arms wrapping around Quinn's waist, tangling their legs together and resting her head on her shoulder.

"I was looking at wedding dresses, but then something else caught my attention." Quinn answered holding the ipad up so they both could see, tapping on one of the pictures of a woman wearing a light wedding gown posing on the beach.

Santana's face scrunched up, squinting with a shake of her head, "No offense, Q, but you can find something better."

Quinn smirked, "Oh yeah, that dress is hideous, but it gave me an idea." She paused so she could look at Santana who was patiently waiting for what the idea was, "What do you think about a destination wedding?"

"Hmm." Santana smiled, lifting her head off of her shoulder, her eyebrow rising with interest, "Somewhere with white sand on a private beach, with you in a bikini? I'm so down."

"I picture us in wedding dresses..." Quinn softly laughed, taking a moment to turn her ipad off setting it aside on her nightstand, "It could be just a few close friends, your parents... and maybe mine."

Santana leaned in to press a quick kiss to Quinn's lips, before adding, "Small and intimate. I like it." She agreed, "So you're thinking about inviting your parents?"

"Yeah, I mean, maybe they haven't been the best – but they're my parents you know?" Quinn quietly said, "It'll be my last attempt at trying. Plus I always kind of wanted my dad to give me away." She whispered with a vulnerable smile even though in the back of her mind she had to wonder if he would even show up to the wedding at all. He never accepted the fact that she was a pregnant teenager and now here she was marrying a woman and suddenly she found herself lightly laughing, "Who am I kidding though, right?"

"Hey, you never know." Santana shrugged, "Look at how our lives have turned out, he could surprise you."

"Yeah." Quinn drawled the word out, clearing her throat as she detangled herself from Santana and climbed out of bed to stretch a little.

"Then when we come back from our wedding you can impregnate me in this bed." Santana slyly smiled with a wiggle of her eyebrows, rolling on her back so she could spread her legs.

Quinn let out a throaty laugh, happy Santana had managed to turn what had just turned into a small gloomy conversation about her father, back into a light hearted one.

"And how exactly am I supposed to achieve that without the proper appendage?"

Santana shrugged with a purse of her lips, "I don't know, but it'd be great if you could, because if you and I could create a little Quinn and Santana hybrid child together, they would no doubt rule this world."

Quinn smiled as crawled back onto the bed and in between Santana's legs, "Sassy, smart and gorgeous."

Santana bent her knees, cradling Quinn between them, her hands sliding down to rest on her lower back massaging closely to the waistband of her boy shorts, humming a quiet moan as she bucked her hips upward and into Quinn.

Quinn smiled, her lips hovering over Santana's as they locked eyes, their lips only brushing lightly against each other, teasing, as they began to slowly grinding against each other.

"You'd probably be pregnant by now if I did in fact have that part of the body." Quinn whimpered, not yet giving into Santana's tasty lips.

"No doubt." Santana moaned leaning up to crash their lips together, one hand finding it's way to Quinn's ass, while her other tangled in the back of her hair, the kiss heated and bruising, passionate and loving. The syfy movie and wedding plans long forgotten as they spent the rest of the night only focused on each other.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was a Saturday afternoon and Quinn sat at the kitchen table, laptop open in front of her, researching things, her phone pressed to her ear with Rachel on the other end. All the wedding plans just about wrapping up as the day slowly approached them.

"We have our dresses, almost everything is booked – the hotel has been great with everything over the phone." Quinn informed her, "Now all we have to do is get there and make things official. And hopefully when we arrive everything turns out exactly how I imagine it should be."

"I'm sure everything will turn out wonderful, Quinn." Rachel assured her with a tone of positivity, "I know you're excited to have this big day, but it's also just as important to remember that it's about who you're marrying and spending the rest of your life with. It could down pour, but at the end of the day you're ultimately marrying your best friend and I couldn't think of anything grander."

Quinn couldn't help but smile, the words actually giving her a small sense of relief. Rachel was absolutely right. It took her forever to finally find someone and actually be truly happy. If something were to go wrong, it didn't matter because either way she was marrying the one person who made her feel complete and loved.

"You're absolutely right, Rachel." Quinn softly said.

"I always am!" Rachel happily replied.

Quinn lightly laughed, about to ask her when she was coming to visit, since everyone was going to be spending a few nights at the Fabray –Lopez household until they all piled on a plane together and made the long journey to Hawaii, but something else had caught her attention, her eyes averting to the window that overlooked the backyard, the sound of a lawnmower causing her to stand up.

"Oh my god..." Quinn whispered as she walked around the table and over to the window, watching as Santana pushed the lawnmower across the grass. Sure they had been living in their house for a while and things had to be kept up, but Santana had paid the neighbour kid to cut their grass for them, so the shock washing over the blonde at what she was witnessing was causing her mouth to hang open.

"Quinn?" Rachel questioned, "Are you still there?"

"Rachel..." Quinn quietly said, almost scared that if somehow Santana heard her she would stop, "Santana is cutting the grass. I didn't even know Santana knew how to use one."

"Wait, pardon me?" Rachel asked, "Our Santana? Santana Lopez? The one who couldn't even bother to put her dishes in the dishwasher and don't even get me started on how many times I would find her clothes everywhere. How does a bra end up in the freezer!?"

Quinn smirked as she watched her fiancée do the chore, her breath hitching in her throat just by the sight, "I have to go." She whispered, "I'll call you tomorrow, bye, Rachel."

"Let me know if Santana is all right!" Rachel quickly said before Quinn hung up on her.

Quinn licked her lips as she tossed her phone aside, the last little bit of the August sun beating down on her love, making her sweaty and causing the black tank top to cling to her taut stomach. "Why is this sexy?" She questioned herself as she watched Santana's biceps flex every time she pushed the lawnmower down a new strip of grass that needed to be trimmed, her eyes going even wider with lust when she headed in the opposite direction her focus gravitating to her ass. "I am so fucking lucky."

After ogling her wife to be for another few minutes, Quinn stepped outside onto the small back porch and as soon as Santana had spotted her Quinn waved her over.

Santana finished the last little bit and then shut the lawn mower off, using the bottom of her tank top to wipe some of the sweat dripping from her forehead, the sight driving Quinn absolutely wild. "This is why we need a pool, Quinn. I can just jump right in when it's hot as balls out here."

"Mmhm." Quinn nodded and stepped back inside, "Or air conditioning works just as well."

Santana followed her, sliding the glass door shut behind her to keep the cool air inside, letting out a small squeak when Quinn's arms were suddenly wrapped around her. "Hey." She smiled and leaned into her, "I'm all sweaty and gross."

"Not gross." Quinn hummed as she pressed a few kisses along her neck, her hands running up the back of her shirt, "I think I love you being proactive outside."

"I didn't wanna, but the neighbour kid is gone and my parents are coming into town this weekend before we all leave for the wedding. I want our house to look fresh inside and out." Santana said with a small giggle when Quinn's hands came around to rest on her stomach, "Quinn!"

"You're so fucking sexy, San." Quinn moaned walking them until Santana's back was up against the counter, dipping her head in to press their lips together, while her hands ran all over her body.

"Damn, Q. I'll do yard work for you every day if this is your reaction." Santana whimpered against her lips, her breath hitching in her throat when the kiss escalated into a much deeper one.

Quinn smiled into the kiss, keeping control and dominating it until they needed to pull away to capture some air, her hands finally coming to rest on the belt of the jean shorts Santana was wearing. Their foreheads rested together as Quinn unbuckled the belt and unbuttoned her jeans, offering Santana a look of pure lust before she lowered to the ground, her lips pressing kisses against her lower stomach, her tongue swirling around her belly button until she was kneeling in front of her.

Santana's eyes went wide, looking down at her girlfriend with amazement, "Quinn, are you going down on me in the kitchen?"

"Absolutely." Quinn slyly replied with a lick of her lips.

Santana let out a slow breath as she leaned back against the counter, allowing Quinn to tug her shorts down, but as luck would have it, before any fun began the doorbell rang and Quinn halted her actions causing Santana to groan.

"Ignore it." Santana pleaded reaching down to wrap her fingers in Quinn's hair, her eyes rolling when the doorbell sounded a few more times.

Quinn sighed and pushed herself into a standing position, pressing a quick kiss to Santana's lips, "I'll get rid of whoever that is and then we can carry on." She promised, making sure to give Santana's ass a squeeze before she left the kitchen to go and answer the door.

"Oh, dios mio." Santana mumbled letting out a slow shaky breath as she leaned back against the counter.

Quinn ran her fingers through her hair, making sure she was presentable before she reached the door, eager to send the unexpected visitor on their way and go back to taking care of her sexy fiancée, but as she pulled the door open she sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes went wide with shock due to the person standing in front of her.

"Quinn, sweetie."

Quinn cleared her throat, shifting in her spot, her eyes narrowing in on her, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

Judy pursed her lips and took a small step forward, suddenly finding herself nervous under her daughter's scrutiny, "I received your wedding invitation-"

"Oh, so the address I sent it to was actually one of your permanent residences?"

"Quinn, I know we don't speak that often and I apologize-"

"You could have just called." Quinn cut her off, the sight of her mother overwhelming her causing her eyes to mist with tears. "What, do you need money or something?"

Judy took a cautious step forward, deciding to wave the last comment off, as she proudly stated, "Quinn, you're getting married!" she smiled, "I know I haven't exactly been the greatest mother, but I want to be here for you and help you plan things and go wedding dress shopping. I'm the mother of the bride!"

"There are two brides." Quinn informed her waiting for her smile to falter, "So you can go and pray for me or whatever it is you church goers do. And besides it's too late the wedding is already planned and my dress has been bought."

"I know, you're marrying Santana. Your sister told me all about it." Judy nodded, clasping her fingers together, "Something I wasn't expecting, but if she makes you happy, that's all I truly want. Quinn, please, I want to be here for your big day."

Quinn studied her, trying to read her energy. She was still skeptical about her randomly showing up at her door, but in her mother's defence there was an invitation given and she did travel all the way here, so the least she could do was let her explain herself. If things went sour she would have no problem throwing her out and she was sure Santana wouldn't have a problem with it either.

Finally Quinn moved aside and waved her hand, "Come in."

"Thank you." Judy whispered reaching out to give Quinn's hand a squeeze as she walked by her, looking around the foyer as she shrugged out of her coat, "It looks like you've done well for yourself."

Quinn shut the door and simply nodded, her eyes going wide when Santana called out to her.

"Quinn, who was at the door?" Santana asked, her footsteps traveling towards them, "I was serving you lunch, come start eating it." She grinned as she sauntered through the dining room and into the foyer naked from head to toe.

"Santana!" Quinn shouted her arms quickly wrapping around her to shield her naked body from her mother's eyes.

"Oh!" Judy squeaked, "I – I – Quinn!"

"Mrs. Fabray!?" Santana questioned, peering over Quinn's shoulder at the older blonde who was covering her eyes with both hands. "What's she doing here?"

"The wedding." Quinn answered, "San, you want to go put some clothes back on."

Santana sighed, her eyes locking with Quinn's, "This was unanticipated."

"I know." Quinn mumbled, pressing a kiss to her cheek about to send her on her way but there was soon another knock on the door, all three women looking towards it in confusion.

"Rachel?" Santana questioned.

Judy headed for the door, pulling it open, Santana's parents barging on inside.

"Mami Papi! You guys are here early!" Santana beamed her arms opening wide, but Quinn was still very much attached to her, using her own body to cover Santana's flawless naked one.

"Hi, Sani." Mrs. Lopez smiled, but soon it faltered as she looked around and took in her surroundings, "What exactly is going on here?" Her eyes narrowed in on Quinn's mother, her eyebrow raised, "Judy Fabray?"

"Okay – there is a lot going on right now." Mr. Lopez said quickly coming to stand in between his wife and Judy, "I'd really appreciate it though, if my daughter went and put some clothes on."

"Lo siento papi." Santana bashfully said, but there was still a smile on her face, "Te amo."

"I have never been more consumed with awkwardness in my entire life." Quinn stated, making sure she was covering Santana until she was out of sight and then she turned back to face all three parents, her hands clasping together nervously, "So! How was every ones travels?"

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

After Santana cleaned up and put some clothes back on, she quickly pulled together a fast meal. Quinn, even though she didn't necessarily enjoy cooking helped too, just so she could avoid the discomfort that was painfully obvious between Judy and Maribel.

And now all of them sat at the kitchen table the tension in the air thick as Judy Fabray sat across from Maribel Lopez. Dinner was awkward and silent, and now with the empty plates in front of them and nothing left to do, Santana and Quinn had a feeling things were about to get ugly.

"Santana, how about dessert?" Quinn asked obviously sensing the energy in the room was off.

Santana jumped up and eagerly nodded, "I made brownies." She informed everyone as she gathered a few of the empty dishes.

"That sounds delicious, Sani." Mrs. Lopez sweetly smiled, about to get up and help, but Quinn quickly stood and patted her shoulder, indicating for her to sit back down.

Quinn and Santana gathered as many empty dishes as they could and brought them into the kitchen, the two of them letting out a small breath as they placed them in the sink and then leaned against the counter.

"I think you're mom is going to kill mine." Quinn said with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Quinn – she's just protective over you because of everything that happened."

Quinn couldn't help but smile, feeling a little flutter of happiness enter her heart by the information. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her mom, she had to give it to her she was trying and had come all the way to Boston to try and prove herself, so that had to say something, but it was also nice knowing that she had a second mom in the form of Mrs. Lopez too.

Her thoughts and smile though soon vanished when shouts could be heard from the dining room.

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU ACTED LIKE A MOTHER!"

Santana and Quinn both eyed each other at the sound of Mrs. Lopez' voice and very quickly they took off in the direction of the dining room, watching as Mr. Lopez tried to hold his wife back from trying to jump over the table, while Mrs. Fabray stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrow raised, not even flinching when the Spanish profanities started to fill the room, but Judy Fabray held her own as she sent Maribel Lopez the infamous HBIC look, the one obviously handed down to Quinn Fabray.

"What's going on?!" Quinn asked coming over to stand next to her mom.

"Quinn, I was just trying to explain myself!" Mrs. Fabray assured and then waved her hand at the rage from across the table. "Then someone let the dogs out!"

"There is no good excuse for leaving your daughter the way you did!" Mrs. Lopez shouted as she struggled against her husband's arms, "Family is always number one!"

Santana finally stormed over, placing her hand on her mother's shoulder, "Okay, everyone needs to calm down!"

"Santana I –"

"Stop!" Santana said her voice stern and dominating, her eyes narrowing in on her mother.

"Sani, I'm only trying to understand –" Maribel began her features soft as she locked eyes with Santana, but soon she looked over her shoulder and she was throwing invisible daggers at the older blonde standing across the table, "Understand how an alcoholic-"

"Mami!" Santana scolded holding her hand up in front of her face, "You know what, go to the spare bedroom!"

Mrs. Lopez' shoulders slumped, leaning back against her husband, "Santana?"

Santana pointed a finger in the direction of the stairs, "Go! Quinn and Mrs. Fabray have a lot to discuss, so we will give them some privacy."

"Thank you, Santana." Judy quietly said a look of relief washing over.

"Santana-"

"Papi! Take her upstairs." Santana ordered,

"Come on, my love, Santana is right." Mr. Lopez said, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple.

"Fine." Mrs. Lopez mumbled, taking her husband's hand, allowing him to guide the way, sticking her tongue out at Mrs. Fabray on her way, causing Santana to pinch the bridge of her nose and shake her head.

Santana waited until they were out of sight before turning to Quinn, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." And then she turned to Judy, "If I find one tear in her eye – I will release my mother on you."

Judy let out a slow breath and nodded, "I understand."

"Good." Santana stated and reached out for both of Quinn's hands, "Are you okay?"

Quinn nodded and let out a slow breath, "It's been a long time coming, it needs to happen."

Santana pulled her in for a quick hug, her lips brushing against Quinn's before she pulled away, "I'll be close." She offered and then disappeared to give the mother and daughter some privacy.

"Wow." Judy weakly smiled as she turned to her daughter, "I guess I really didn't have to worry that much about you, you have a whole other family that loves you."

"It doesn't mean that I don't miss you." Quinn quietly stated, reaching out and guiding her to the living room so they could sit on the couch, "You hardly talk to Frannie anymore either, mom. Where have you been?"

Judy sighed, tears stinging her eyes as she dug deep into her pocket and pulled something out, "I've been working a little on myself." She answered and then reached out, indicating for Quinn to open her hand and when she did she placed a chip in the palm.

Quinn's eyebrows creased with confusion, bringing the item up to see, her expression relaxing as she breathed out, "Mom is this real?"

"It's my one year of sobriety chip." Judy proudly nodded and suddenly she was smiling when Quinn's arms were wrapped around her, "I'm sorry I never updated you or your sister. I was in a dark place, but I'm finally crawling my way out of that and if you allow me, I really do want to be a part of your life again, Quinn." She pulled back and cupped Quinn's cheek, "You've been through a lot too, sweetie. And it makes me so happy and proud to see that you fought through all of that. As a mother my only wish is to see both of my children happy and successful. I wish I was there to help you through that journey, but you did it all on your own."

"I wasn't entirely alone. I have amazing friends and an incredible fiancée." Quinn softly stated.

"And your in-laws." Judy's eyes went wide with a bit of fright, "Although I'm a little frightened, I'm happy to see them so protective over you, so loving towards you since I've been absent." She let out a slow breath, reaching for both of Quinn's hands, "I don't know how to make it up to you, but I want to be there for you as you start this new chapter of your life. So, can I help with the rest of the wedding plans?"

Quinn sniffled and nodded, a bit of relief washing over her as her mother confessed and apologized, a small part of her still a little skeptical, but deep down she was overjoyed to have her own mother here, especially for her wedding. Now she just wondered if her father would be making a surprise visit as well.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Later in the evening, after Quinn and Santana made up the spare bedrooms for their parents, Judy came to the master bedroom, knocking quietly on the door, thankful Santana had pulled it open.

"Quinn is taking a shower." Santana informed her.

Judy shook her head, reaching out to gently take Santana's forearm, "I need to speak with you alone."

"Okay?" Santana questioned, "You're not bailing are you? I don't know what you and Quinn talked about today, but it made her happy and you leaving-"

"I'm not leaving." Judy shook her head with a roll of her eyes, guiding Santana into the room she was staying in. "Santana, I realize I messed up..." Judy explained as she went over to her bag and dug through it, "I'm here to try and fix that."

Santana stood and watched her, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting in silence.

"I know Quinn already gave you a ring to represent your engagement, but I always wanted –" Judy sighed and finally turned around holding a little black box in her hand, "I always pictured Quinn wearing this." She finally stated and opened it to reveal an engagement ring, "It was my great grandmothers."

Santana gasped and slowly walked forward, reaching out as Judy handed her the diamond ring. "It's beautiful."

"I know we're leaving in a few days for your actual wedding, but it would mean a lot to me if you gave this to Quinn."

Santana looked up and she nodded, "Absolutely." She sucked in a sharp breath, locking eyes with the older woman, "Thank you, this will make Quinn beyond happy."

Judy cautiously stepped forward, her arms wrapping around Santana, "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. This relationship has come as a surprise to me, but I can see how it works."

Santana closed the little black velvet box and returned the hug, "She takes care of me too, Mrs. Fabray."

"And that is what a relationship is all about. Some days it's 50/50 other days you have to give 100 percent, it's not always going to be perfect, but I think you two have come to realize that and I am thrilled to see that Judy Fabray is wise enough to see that too, handing down a ring for my daughter to place on her own daughter's finger."

Santana and Judy both pulled away when the new voice entered the room, Mrs. Lopez slowly entering.

Judy wiped at a stray tear that had fallen from her eye, "Quinn has her dream job and now all she needs is her dream love life. I didn't picture it to be with another woman, but I've come to approve of who she is marrying and I can't wait to celebrate the day with them."

"Fuck, you guys." Santana sniffled, "You're going to make me cry."

"Santana Lopez, you watch your mouth!" Mrs. Lopez scolded.

"Well, Mami! I'm just so happy everything is working out!"

Judy lightly laughed, gently shoving Santana towards the door, "I think you have a ring to go place on someone's finger."

"Wish me luck." Santana teased with a wink, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek as she walked by and left the room.

Judy and Maribel awkwardly eyed each other, Maribel the first one to speak first.

"Well, since we're going to be family in a few days we should probably talk about a few things."

Judy let out a breath of relief and nodded, "Yes, please."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

When Quinn came out of the en suite bathroom she found Santana lying on the bed, her head propped up on her hand, her long thick hair spilling over the side of her shoulder, zoned out with a smile on her face, which caused Quinn to smile.

"Something on your mind, Santana?"

Santana's eyes slowly fell on Quinn who was wearing boy shorts and a tank top, her hair still damp from the shower. Santana sat up and patted the spot next to her on the bed, "Come here."

"Give me a second." Quinn answered, heading back into the bathroom to hang her towel up and then coming back out adding, "We're not having sex with all of our parents staying here."

Santana rolled her eyes as Quinn climbed onto the bed next to her, sitting up a little more, "We're still mackin'" She informed her as she shifted to straddle Quinn's thighs, "But that's not even what I was going to initiate."

Quinn's eyebrow rose with surprise, her hands coming up to rest on Santana's hips where her sweatpants barely clung to her, "Oh really?" she asked, her eyes roaming the cleavage her tank top hardly tried to hide.

Santana smiled and actually pulled her shirt up, "Don't be a pervert, Q. I'm trying to be serious."

Quinn leaned back against the headboard, her thumbs brushing the skin on Santana's lower stomach, "Wow, sudden role reversal."

"Mmhm." Santana hummed and couldn't help but press a quick kiss to Quinn's lips, her hands sliding up to rest on her shoulders, "Quinn, I was talking to your mom while you were in the shower and I know my parents already approved of us and honestly it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks because we love each other and that's what really counts, but it still means a lot that your mom showed up here and is excited about us. I know you're still worried about her intentions, but I believe they're in the right place."

Quinn nodded and cleared her throat, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure of where this conversation was headed.

"I think your mom just needs a second chance to prove herself to you." Santana explained, "Kind of like how you showed me that I could find a second person to love even when I didn't want to believe it."

"Okay, San? I am all for allowing my mom back into my life. She's coming to the wedding." Quinn said, her hands slipping around to rest on Santana's lower back, "You're acting weird. What's wrong?"

"This isn't – ugh – this is harder than I thought." Santana nervously laughed, running her fingers through Quinn's damp hair, letting out a slow breath, "You've been through so much on your own, I guess what I'm trying to say is now you won't ever be on your own anymore. You have me and my family and your family, but most importantly me." She fumbled around in the pocket of her sweatpants, pulling out the black box that was given to her not long ago, Quinn's eyes going wide at the sight, "I know you already did this part and I said yes, but this was your mom's idea and I thought maybe it'd be super meaningful if you wore an engagement ring too?"

Quinn watched as Santana opened the box, revealing the ring she recognized since her childhood, having been in trouble for playing dress up with it as a kid.

"San, is this?"

"Yeah, yes it is." Santana whispered, watching as Quinn's eyes glistened with tears, "I know everything is already planned, but, Quinn Fabray will you marry me?"

Quinn let out a small happy sob, "My mom really gave you this?"

"I swear."

Quinn choked back a sob, using the back of her hand to wipe at the tears trailing down her cheeks, "On one condition."

"Wait, what?" Santana questioned pulling back to look at the blonde, surprised Quinn hadn't let her slip the ring on her finger yet.

"Santana..." Quinn whispered, reaching up to cup her cheeks, "I want your last name."

Santana's breath hitched in her throat, her own eyes misting up.

"Let's be honest, my dad isn't coming to the wedding." Quinn sadly shook her head, "Your family makes love look so easy, while mine act like it's so impossible. Your parents accepted you right away. And I'm so grateful my mom has passed this ring down to me, but it took her awhile to get here." She sniffled as she held up her shaky left hand, "I don't want to be a Fabray anymore I want to be a Lopez."

Santana's face beamed with pride as she took the small diamond from the black velvet box, and slip it perfectly onto Quinn's left ring finger, "Welcome to the family Quinn Lucy Lopez."

"That has a nice ring to it." Quinn whispered leaning up to meet Santana halfway for a kiss.

"I love you." Santana mumbled against her lips, "I can't wait to marry you."

Quinn wrapped her arms around Santana, the ring settling perfectly against her finger, "I love you too." She whispered and then deepened the kiss.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

A few days later as the wedding date approached Santana was groggily heading downstairs from a nap after being out in the sun all day swimming and hoisting the parents. Quinn had happily allowed her to slip away with a peck on the lips and a very satisfying ass grope, but now she returned to join everyone for dinner.

Her ears perked up as she closed in on the kitchen a familiar voice entering her ears and causing her to smile.

"Just because it originated with certain people doesn't always make it better!"

"The original Broadway cast of anything is always better!"

Santana gasped and picked up her pace, coming to a stop to find Rachel and her cousin sitting at the table eating pizza, everyone else scattered around the house in random places.

"Chloe!?"

Rachel and Chloe both turned around to face Santana.

"Sani!" Chloe smiled and stood up at the same time as Rachel, both making their way to her. "Hey, out of the way, know it all, she's my cousin."

Rachel bumped Chloe in the side with her hip, her short legs taking longer strides, "Our friendship has blossomed into more than just best friends, we're like sisters now and that's way more meaningful than cousins." She challenged.

"Well she's my fiancée!" Quinn swooped in and wrapped her arms around Santana's waist, pressing a kiss to her lips, "That trumps all of you." Quinn smiled, playfully nuzzling her nose with Santana's, "Hi."

Santana's focus immediately shifted to Quinn, returning the smile, "Hi, how are the parents doing?"

"Our moms are getting wine drunk on the back porch with Blaine and Kurt and your dad and I are bonding over football." She informed her and then nodded her head behind her to indicate Rachel and her cousin, "And those two haven't stopped arguing since they got here."

"Get I get a hug now? Quinn insisted I didn't wake you." Rachel questioned, "Really, Santana, I haven't seen you in weeks."

"Try a whole year." Chloe said her and Rachel both standing with their arms crossed over their chest.

"I think I need to give hugs." Santana smirked even though being in Quinn's arms would always be her favourite feeling in the entire world, but soon she'd have the rest of her life to be in them.

Quinn shrugged, "If you must." She playfully rolled her eyes, pressing one last kiss to Santana's cheek and then pulled away, Rachel the first one to wrap her arms around Santana.

"Hi, Thumbelina." Santana lightly laughed, squeezing the shorter girl in close.

Rachel smiled, "I missed you, Santana."

"She used to talk shit about this girl all the time." Chloe mumbled while she leaned into Quinn, and then she eyed the blonde up and down, "Although I guess you two didn't have the greatest relationship in high school either and you're getting married now."

"Stranger things have happened, right?" Quinn dryly said with a small nod.

Chloe hummed and shrugged, pointing to Rachel and Santana, "Nothing stranger than that."

"I can hear you." Rachel sing-songed as she pulled out of the embrace.

"I said it out loud." Chloe stated and stepped into Santana's arms, "Prima, it's been too long."

"Estoy tan feliz de que hayas venido." Santana said and held her close, "Mami and Papi said you'd be coming. I thought you were going to meet us in Hawaii with Quinn's sister?"

"Change of plans." Chloe simply informed her, "So your parents are happily paying for my flight. They always were my favourites."

"I'm glad."

Chloe nodded and pulled back, taking Santana's hand, "So Hawaii huh? I want to hear all about the plans."

"Let's go catch up." Santana smirked and then the two headed into the kitchen.

Rachel let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, "I'm going to find Kurt. I need a drink after dealing with that woman."

Quinn smiled and nodded, looking around the house, her eyes landing on Santana and Chloe laughing and talking, watching as Rachel made her way through the sliding glass doors and onto the porch to join her mom, Maribel, Kurt and Blaine and then they came to Mr. Lopez and she let out a happy content breath. This was her life and this was her family and she didn't think she could get any happier.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

Later that evening, while the parents headed to bed early, the younger adults stayed outside, sitting around a small bonfire, everyone rolling their eyes as Rachel and Chloe were in yet another small disagreement.

"Jack totally could have fit on that piece of wood." Chloe stated.

Rachel shook her head with disbelief, "Okay, if you're so intent on believing that, even though you're incorrect, if he did say climb on with her it would have defeated the whole purpose of their love story!"

Chloe stared blankly at her, going silent for a few short seconds before waving her hand, "You make zero sense!"

"Rose lived, Jack died, let's move on people that movie was 1997!" Kurt gasped and then took a long sip of his wine, "Plus we have other things to discuss, like..." He wiggled his eyebrows as he turned to Quinn and Santana, "Bachelorette parties."

"Oh!" Chloe smiled turning her attention to Kurt, "I like this topic a lot."

Santana lazily shook her head as she leaned back into Quinn, where she was comfortably seated in between the blonde's legs on a chair, "We're not doing that."

"I know we're leaving in a few days, but we could still slip them in the itinerary." Kurt suggested.

"Plus, you didn't have one the first time around, I think you deserve one this time." Chloe piped in.

Quinn sat up a little, her chin resting on Santana's shoulder as she mulled over the idea, "You know, one last night out might not be a bad idea."

Santana turned to give her the best surprised expression she could from her angle, "Quinn? That you behind me?"

Quinn smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek, leaning back against the seat as she let out a breath, "Although you all have been a great big deal of help, this wedding has been exhausting to plan, plus I've been working on top of all that. I'm ready for a night out free of responsibilities and stress."

"So let's do it." Blaine nodded.

Chloe politely raised her hand, eager to spit out a few ideas, "May I suggest something?" And Santana keenly nodded.

Quinn shook her head, "Oh no, you Lopez girls are not planning Santana's night out together."

"Q!"

Both of them protested at the same time.

"Just what I need is to bail you out of jail before our big day." Quinn muttered, her arms wrapping a little more tightly around Santana's waist.

"Why don't we have one big joined bachelorette party?" Rachel suggested, "Where in the rules does it say you have to be apart?"

"Bachelorette is quite literally the definition of being unmarried." Chloe vacantly stated. "The whole idea of a party is to celebrate your last time being single."

"You know what though, I'm with Rachel." Quinn offered, "Let's not call it a bachelorette party and call it a break from all the stressful wedding planning party. One big last night out before Santana and I settle into married life."

"We can rent a limo and have them drive us to a few clubs around Boston?" Blaine asked.

"One of them being a strip club?" Chloe asked with hopeful eyes.

"San and I getting lap dances side by side could be fun." Quinn mused and then took a sip from her wine glass.

Santana's eyes went wide, turning to look over her shoulder, "Who are you right now?"

"Wine drunk." Quinn matter-of-factly answered.

"Would _wine drunk Quinn_ want to go upstairs?" Santana smiled.

Quinn brought the glass back up to her lips, draining the rest of the red liquid from it, letting out a satisfied gasp and then nodded, "Yes, yes she would absolutely love that."

Santana quickly stood up, pulling Quinn with her, "Well losers, we're calling it a night."

"Ew, even with your parents up there?" Chloe questioned.

Quinn leaned into Santana, her arms wrapping around her neck, " _Wine drunk Quinn_ doesn't care. _Wine drunk Quinn_ wants her fiancée naked and on top of me."

"I love wine drunk Quinn!" Santana cheerfully said, while everyone else grimaced.

Kurt shook his head, "She's too blunt for me."

"Think you guys can handle your sleeping arrangements on your own?" Santana asked as she allowed Quinn to tug her towards the house.

"I assure you we can handle it, Santana, go enjoy your wife to be." Rachel smiled with an encouraging nod.

"Thank you and goodnight." Santana waved.

"Goodnight!" Quinn called out.

"Quinntana." Blaine nodded with approval, "I never thought I'd say this, but here is to them and their well deserved happiness."

And with that the four friends leaned forward all clinking their glasses together over the bonfire.

* * *

 **So, remember when I said this was going to be the last chapter? Well, I lied and this _isn't_ the last one lol. I'm like %99 sure the next chapter will be the last one though! haha **


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, this is officially the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.** **:)**

 **Just a little fun reminder - I do not own Glee. I just have fun making up my own stories with my favourite characters involved! **

* * *

Chapter 17

Quinn walked out of the small walk-in closet, placing an earring in her ear, her eyes widening when Santana walked out of the en suite, dressed and ready for their night out, wearing a black corset that squeezed her boobs together, the bottom resting just above her belly button showing off the very defined six pack she worked hard to maintain almost every day. The revealing top paired with white jeans that hugged her ass just right.

Quinn cleared her throat, clasping the back of her earring on and finally fully appreciating Santana's appearance, "Santana, you look, you look sexy, but where's the rest of your shirt?"

Santana turned and looked in the mirror, a small smirk on her lips as she tousled her wavy hair, "Funny, Q, but this is it." Soon she spun around, her smile growing at the sight of Quinn, who was wearing a backless, pencil V-neck halter dress, appreciating the fact that the blonde decided not to wear a bra. Even though her skin was fair, she had a nice hint of a tan glowing on her skin having spent a lot of time outside this summer, it complementing the colour of the dress perfectly. And ever since they moved in together Santana started cooking them healthy meals, the few pounds that Quinn had gained that made her _juicy_ according to Santana, now gone and you could faintly make out the toned muscles in her biceps and back.

"Damn, Q." Santana walked over to her, making sure she checked out the front and back, "You are killing those squats." She whistled and reached out, finally pulling their bodies close, her hands running down to rest on her ass, giving it a proud squeeze.

Quinn let out a low laugh, her arms coming up to wrap around Santana's neck, they both wearing heels that matched the same height. "Thank you?"

Santana brought her hands up to Quinn's lower back, her expression turning into a serious one as she honestly said, "You seriously look beautiful, Quinn."

"Thank you, Santana." Quinn smiled, rewarding her with a quick kiss, "You are gorgeous too and tonight you look..." She slightly pulled back to check Santana out again, her eyes shamelessly stopping at her chest, unconsciously licking her lips, a small moaning rumbling in the back of her throat as she replied, "You look voluptuous."

Santana grinned, "Just think, soon you'll have the rest of your life to play with these ladies."

"And this one." Quinn decided to add in, her hand sneaking down to grab Santana's ass.

Santana squeaked with pleasure, leaning into Quinn some more, "Sometimes I can't tell if your an ass or boobs girl."

"Let's just say that I enjoy _all_ of you." Quinn smirked with a wink.

"Mmhm, you know that they say?" Santana hummed as she dipped her head in, her lips hovering over Quinn's, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Quinn leaned in the rest of the way to connect their lips, her tongue seeking out Santana's right away, not caring at this point if their freshly applied lipstick was going to be smudged, she would happily take a few extra minutes to fix herself up if she could share a moment kissing her fiancée.

"Knock, knock!" Kurt cheerfully announced, clasping his hands together as he stood at the threshold of their bedroom, "I hate to interrupt, but the limo has arrived and we have party favours to dress you two in."

Quinn pulled back, her head automatically tilting to the side when Santana ignored the intrusion and began to plant kisses along her neck, "Party favours?"

Rachel stood next to Kurt and eagerly nodded with a smile. "They're downstairs. Hurry up because Chloe and Tina started doing shots and we have plans to attend to and we can't get through all of them if they're overly intoxicated."

"Shots?" Santana asked, finally pulling her lips from Quinn, "I want to do shots."

"Downstairs." Kurt smiled.

"Coming!" Santana nodded pulling away about to head on her way out of the bedroom, but Quinn had gently tugged her back and reached up to wipe at some of her smudged lipstick. "We shouldn't even wear lipstick tonight." She smirked with a small eye roll.

Quinn's eyebrow rose, and she nodded, "You make an excellent point."

"I always do! Now, come on." Santana said, reaching out to lace their fingers together, tugging her in the direction Rachel and Kurt had went.

When they entered the kitchen Rachel and Kurt had put 'bride to be' sashes over their heads, each of them sporting a fake plastic crown as well, while the others wore pins to indicate they were all part of the same party.

Judy, Maribel and Mr. Lopez joined them for a quick celebration, Quinn impressed as she watched her mom decline any alcohol and instead took fake shots of water and finally with the parents left behind, the group of seven piled into the limo and headed out for a night of fun.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

"Okay, first stop is the strip club." Chloe announced, as she popped open a bottle of champagne and began pouring drinks for everyone, "We'll get these two started in some last minute "single life" fun and then we can head to the clubs and dance."

"Let's not stay there too long." Kurt said and Rachel nodded along with him.

"Hey, Lady Hummel, if Quinn and I are enjoying ourselves with a bunch of naked ladies dancing around us, you can always swing by and pick us up later." Santana teased.

Quinn let out a small nervous laugh, sliding her hand over so she could lace it with Santana's, giving it a small squeeze, suddenly unsure about this whole lap dance thing. She only had eyes for Santana, who would no doubt give her free lap dances at home if she asked, but at the same time she wanted to let loose tonight, so she grabbed a glass of champagne from Chloe and chugged it, allowing the liquid to course through her and relax her some more.

"I researched some of the dancers last night." Chloe informed them, "They have one named Thumbelina..." She playfully elbowed Rachel in the side, "I heard Santana call you that the other day, you want me to buy you-"

"Absolutely not!" Rachel cut her off, her cheeks flushing a bright red, "I have no interest in even attending this strip club. I will not pay some filthy woman to dance on me!"

Chloe shrugged, "Anyone else want one? I'm paying."

"This is all Santana and Quinn." Tina said with a shake of her head, turning to look out the window as the limo came to a stop, "We're here!"

"Yay! Let the party begin!" Santana grinned and climbed out of the limo first, pulling Quinn with her, the two coming to a stop just outside the door, "This is just for fun, Q. I only love you, but if it makes you uncomfortable we can stop."

Quinn sweetly smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "I completely understand. Tonight we are out to have a good time."

"Okay, so you ready to do this?" Santana asked.

"Let's go." Quinn nodded and entwined their fingers together, following Chloe as she lead the way inside the club.

Not long after, Santana and Quinn sat side by side on one of the couches, Chloe and Kurt disappearing somewhere in the dingy strip club to pay for their lap dances as promised.

Santana reached out to take Quinn's hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "I can't believe we're doing this together."

Quinn's head lolled back against the couch, offering her a small smile, "It's kind of exciting."

"Maybe we should buy Rachel one like Chloe said?" Santana teased, nodding to the petite brunette who had her arms crossed over her chest, making sure she wasn't touching anything, even going as far as huddling into Tina and Blaine when a topless waitress walked by them.

"She'd freak." Quinn lightly laughed.

Soon Chloe and Kurt came back, both with smiles of approval attached to their lips.

"We were able to pick who would be providing the dances." Kurt informed them, "A Rihanna and Jennifer Love Hewitt from her heydays in the 90s look-a-likes."

"Ooh, intriguing." Santana smiled, looking passed everyone as the two strippers began walking towards them. She shifted a little in her spot to get comfortable, licking her lips with anticipation.

Chloe smirked and stepped aside, "Remember, you're not allowed to touch, just enjoy. Unless you're slipping money into their thongs."

"Sounds like you've done this before." Rachel mumbled as she pulled her coat around herself more tightly.

Quinn only nodded, her hand slipping out of Santana's, a sudden wave of giddiness washing over her as the Rihanna look-a-like came and straddled her lap, turning her head to watch the brunette one sit on Santana's. Quinn reached into her pocket, pulling out a wad of one dollar bills, handing some over to Santana.

"Wow, Quinn came prepared." Tina nodded with approval, moving over to take a seat at a nearby table, wanting to watch the show, Chloe following to join, Rachel standing so as not to get any kind of stripper club germs on her dress.

"I'll go get us some drinks." Blaine declared and him and Kurt headed for the bar.

Almost ten minutes into the dances, Santana chanced a look over at Quinn, watching as the stripper encouraged her to put her hands on her. Santana's face faltered, but soon she felt two hands on her cheeks, her stripper trying to gain back her attention, Santana's interest easily turning back to a certain asset being shoved in her face, but just as quickly she was looking back over at Quinn, a goofy smile very present on Quinn's lips as the stripper's hips moved sexually against her thigh, grabbing Quinn's hands and placing them on her ass and suddenly Santana wasn't enjoying her dance anymore. The enthusiasm she felt at the beginning of the night completely vanishing as Quinn's face disappeared between two ample breasts, causing Santana to jolt in an upright position, pushing her stripper away as she grabbed Quinn's arm.

"No me gusta!" Santana shouted and stood up, pushing the stripper off of Quinn and yanking her off of the couch.

"Santana?" Quinn questioned her eyes wide with surprise by her abrupt reaction.

The five friends who were watching from the nearby table all looked on, watching as Santana dragged Quinn towards the exit.

"No me gusta!" Santana yelled again, "No estás poniendo tus manos sobre algún stripper asqueroso!"

Chloe stood up, as did the rest of them, "Oh, she's mad."

"Let's go after them!" Rachel said leading the group out of the strip club where she found Santana and Quinn standing in front of the limo, Santana's finger in Quinn's face as she continued to berate her in Spanish.

"Ese no es lugar para tu rostro, ¿me entiendes?, Quinn Fabray?"

"What is she saying?" Kurt asked, leaning into Chloe, wanting to get in on the drama, surprised to see Quinn standing there with a small grin on her lips, just allowing Santana to shout at her.

 _"Quinn's face doesn't belong there and neither do her hands."_ Chloe translated and then stood up straight with a shake of her head, "Wow, I thought maybe Quinn would get upset, but not Santana."

"Bailo para ti, solo mi cuerpo desnudo te está permitido. Lo entiendes? Lo entiendes?"

Chloe nodded along, Kurt grabbing her forearm indicating that he wanted to know, _"Only I dance for you, only my naked body is allowed on you. Do you understand? Do you understand?"_

"You guys, Santana's ex-wife _did_ cheat on her. This probably wasn't the greatest idea." Blaine suddenly realized.

Quinn finally reached up, gently taking Santana's face in her hands, not fully understanding what Santana was saying, but she understood that her sudden outburst _was_ fueled by jealously, and she had to admit it was hard watching another girl grind against Santana too, but obviously it irritated Santana way more and with good reason.

"Sí, Santana. Entiendo."

The other's nodded along to what Quinn was saying, interested to see if the blonde would be able to defuse Santana's temper, or if this was going to be a short night out.

"No me gusta!" Santana said one more time, pointing at the strip club.

Quinn leaned her forehead against Santana's, her arms slipping around her neck, "I know, baby. Lo siento."

Santana huffed, her arms wrapping securely around Quinn's waist, "Eres mío, si?"

Quinn pressed a quick kiss to her lips, "I'm yours, yes and you're mine." She quietly assured her, "How about we go to a normal club now and we can drink and dance together?"

Santana let out a slow breath, her lips pouty, but she nodded.

Quinn gently took Santana's chin between her fingers, tilting her face so they were making eye contact, "Hey that meant nothing, it's a strip club. You're the only woman for me, Santana. You're the definition of _my_ perfect. I'm marrying you." she leaned in to peck her on the lips, "Eres mío."

"I know." Santana whispered, angling her head back in so she could give Quinn a kiss, this one longer than just a simple peck. Even though she was comforted by Quinn's words and actions, she still felt the need to prove herself, so she happily turned the small kiss into a deeper one, her tongue easily gaining access and finding Quinn's.

"Thank god." Chloe nodded and turned to the other four, "I thought for sure the night was about to end and I'm not ready to go home yet."

"Me either." Tina raised her hand.

Rachel let out a slow breath, happy that the two quickly made up on the spot, because she too thought this fight was going escalate.

Quinn let out a small breath when they pulled away, her eyes lidded and a smile very present.

"You want a lap-dance, you ask me for one." Santana finally said.

Quinn licked her lips and nodded, her arms still wrapped around Santana, "Yes, ma'am." She replied and couldn't help but lean in for some more lip action.

"All right, All right, you two will have the rest of your lives to make out with each other. Let's go find another club." Chloe suggested and walked over wrapping her arms around both of their shoulders, forcing them apart as they headed towards the limo. "Hey, I'm sorry the start of the night didn't turn out how I imagined." She genuinely said, "But it doesn't mean it can't get better." She looked at Santana and then nodded to Quinn's very open V-neck dress, "You can do a shot off of her?"

A smile slowly grew on Santana's lips, her eyes lighting up with desire, Quinn also intrigued by the idea. Santana's mouth on her body was always a good time.

"Hell yeah." Santana cheered and was the first to climb back into the limo, the rest of the crew not far behind.

When they arrived at the next club, Rachel stood back next to Chloe nodding with approval as Santana's spirits were once again brightened as Quinn lay on the bar and Santana did a body shot off of her.

"I applaud the way you handled that situation, Chloe." Rachel commented, "Everyone knows that when Santana flies off the handle it's hard to bring her back."

Chloe shrugged, "I can't take all the credit, Quinn did most of the work, I just suggested a sexy activity they both could do to each other. Something we all know Santana enjoys." She smirked pointing to the engaged couple who were once again making out, her eyes soon landing on Kurt who was suddenly licking alcohol from Blaine's stomach, "Damn..." She smirked, "You guys know how to have fun. Where's Tina, she's drunk. I bet she'll want to get in on this action too." She patted Rachel's shoulder about to go find her, but Rachel suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"I can be fun too!" Rachel declared.

A little bit later, Santana and Quinn were on their own dancing, focusing only on each other until they heard a bunch of cheering going on behind them and suddenly Tina was excitedly next to them pointing at the bar.

"You guys look!" Tina excitedly said, patting Santana's shoulder and pointing in the direction.

Quinn's hand flew over her mouth covering a smile, while Santana's eyes narrowed, turning dark as she watched Chloe dive head first into Rachel's cleavage licking alcohol clean from her skin, her tongue slowly sliding across the salt on Rachel's neck and soon their lips hovered dangerously close as she took the lime from Rachel's mouth.

Santana gasped, "No-"

"Santana, it's fine." Quinn tried to assure her, reaching out to rest her hand on her bicep.

"No. Me-"

"Santana, baby." Quinn pleaded moving to stand in front of her, but Santana's eyes were very focused over her shoulder and at the bar, "San?" she questioned and reached up to rest her hands on her neck, her thumbs brushing soothingly against her skin.

"No. Me. Gusta!"

Quinn's arms wrapped around Santana's neck, their foreheads pressed together, "Santana, they're both drunk, we're all drunk having fun. Be happy Rachel is with your cousin and not some stranger." She said, pulling back to chance a look at her, happy that Santana was finally looking at her, "Please, tonight is supposed to be fun. Rachel is also a grown adult. A very _single_ grown adult – let her have some fun. If she needs your protection I'm sure she won't hesitate to ask."

Santana relaxed a little, her arms wrapping around Quinn's waist.

"Yeah, see." Quinn nodded with a smirk, leaning in so her lips were inches from Santana's ear, whispering, "I saw a secluded part of the club when we walked in and with Rachel occupied maybe we could slip away and have our own fun?"

Santana was completely calm now, the hot breath against her ear and Quinn's seductive voice causing Santana's body to pleasantly tingle, "I'm so down."

"That's the spirit." Quinn smiled sliding her hand down so she could take Santana's into her own, the alcohol she had consumed thus far starting to kick in, giving her an enjoyable buzz and a laidback mindset. She guided her through the crowd of club goers, until they made it off the dance floor and over into the restaurant part of the club that was only used during the day. It was dimly lit so they were able to safely find their way to the back, Quinn finally coming to a stop and turning around so she could gently push Santana into a chair, quickly straddling her waist while her arms wrapped around her neck.

"Fuck, Quinn." Santana whimpered due to the pleasant weight in her lap, her hands resting on Quinn's upper thighs, "I'm so glad you wore a dress."

"And no panties." Quinn whispered, her lips hovering over Santana's, moaning as her hips pressed into her, her fingers wrapping around Santana's wrist guiding it under her dress.

As soon as Santana's fingers slid high enough to feel the warmth radiating between Quinn's legs, she crashed their lips together, the two having their own private party in the back.

A while later Quinn and Santana rejoined their friends on the dance floor, making sure they both headed to the bathroom first to freshen up, free drinks being given out when strangers found out about the engaged couple, the group happy and drunk and dancing late into the night, Santana and Quinn even splitting up for a little bit to enjoy some separate time to just be with their friends.

"Santana." Quinn slurred, stumbling passed Tina and Blaine, happy when she was finally reunited with her fiancée again. "San." She drunkenly smiled her arms wrapping around her neck, "Dance with me."

Santana wrapped her arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple, "Having fun?"

"Mmhm." Quinn hummed, resting her head on Santana's shoulder and even though the song playing was anything but slow, she closed her eyes and started to gently sway, "Slow dance."

Santana lightly laughed, but went along with it. "Baby, you're so drunk."

Quinn nodded, simply enjoying the warmth surrounding her, "I can't believe we're getting married." She whispered loud enough for Santana to hear her over the music, "I never would have pictured my life to turn out like this." She lifted her head up, her eyes locking with Santana's and even though she was intoxicated there was nothing but love pouring out from her, "Patience is a virtue."

Santana smiled, leaning in to reward Quinn with a quick kiss, their foreheads resting together as they slow danced out of rhythm to the song pounding in the background.

"San?"

"Yeah?"

"Take me home."

Santana hugged her close, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then pulled away, the night was coming to an end anyway and Quinn was being so drunkenly adorable that Santana _did_ want to take her home to just be with her. Even though she enjoyed their stress free night out with their friends, she truthfully didn't need it. She didn't need one last night of partying. She simply wanted to be with Quinn and start their married life together.

"I'll take you home." Santana smiled, keeping a secure arm wrapped around Quinn's waist, sending out a group text to meet at the limo.

On the ride home everyone was starting to mellow out, Kurt and Blaine in a heavy make out, Quinn curled up into Santana's side, mumbling something about the limo spinning and then her eyes landed on Rachel who was huddled up next to Chloe, the two quietly laughing together and getting along.

"How do you say, gold star?" Rachel giggled, shifting closer to the girl sitting next to her.

"Estrella de oro." Chloe answered.

Rachel beamed and then repeated her, "Estrella de oro."

Santana rolled her eyes, if she herself didn't have any alcohol in her she was sure she would have separated the two, not too thrilled with how close they were getting.

"Hey, who's Tina with?" Quinn mumbled nodding in their friend's direction, trying to keep her mind focused on anything but the movement of the limo.

Santana's attention finally turned to Tina who was making out with someone, her eyebrows creasing with confusion at the sight since the night started off with seven people, not eight.

"Hey, Cohen! Who's the random?" She asked stretching her leg out to gently nudge at her knee, "I know you deserve some love too, but I ain't lettin' no stranger danger into my house."

Tina finally pulled her lips away from the guy she was kissing, smiling at everyone, blushing since it seemed to have capture the attention of everyone in the limo, Kurt and Blaine even coming up for air long enough to see.

"Hi guys."

And soon there was a loud unison of voices echoing throughout the vehicle.

"Mike!?"

"Surprise!" Tina smiled.

Rachel clasped her hands together with a joyful smile, "Oh, I always loved you two together!"

"You can catch up tomorrow morning." Tina waved her hand and then turned back to Mike who happily pulled her back in for some more lip action.

Not long after everyone was piling into the house, Quinn on the verge of passing out, slipping out of her heels and coming to a stop in front of the stairs, her head in her hands.

"San, the stairs – " Quinn whimpered with a shake of her head, "They're spinning."

Santana slipped out of her own heels, lightly laughing at the sight, "Quinn, you lightweight lush." She walked over to her and carefully scooped her up bridal style, climbing the stairs with ease.

"This isn't how I wanted to end the night." Quinn said as she leaned her head against Santana's, her arms tightly wound around her neck.

"How did you want to end it?"

"I think you know how." Quinn answered and let out a content breath when Santana laid her on the bed, "Water please?" She asked resting her head back against the pillows, trying to will the room to stop spinning.

Santana nodded and left the room, only gone for a few minutes and when she returned she smiled at the sight of Quinn passed out, faintly snoring. She set the bottle of water on the nightstand and then carefully changed Quinn into some pajamas. After cleaning herself up and changing into comfortable clothes she finally climbed into bed, letting out a satisfied breath as she collapsed against the mattress, once again a wave of giddiness that only Quinn could create washing over her as the blonde sought her out in her sleep, an arm draping over her stomach and a head resting on her chest. Pretty soon this was going to be her forever and she couldn't wait to get it started.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

A few days later Quinn, Santana, friends and family all arrived at their resort in Hawaii, everyone branching off and heading off into their own rooms. When Quinn and Santana entered theirs it was like a sight pulled straight out of an overly romantic movie. The hotel set up so perfectly with rose petals, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries it was like they were walking into a brochure.

"Wow." Santana nodded as she walked in, her suitcase wheeling in behind her, "I'm impressed." She said and then dropped the handle of her bag when her eyes landed on the balcony. "Oh shit!" She grinned as she ran for the double doors and opened them, "Q! Look, the ocean!" She said as if Quinn wasn't observing the same place she was.

Quinn quietly chuckled to herself as she set her suitcase aside and went to join Santana out on the balcony, "I did pay for the honeymoon suite."

"We can see the ocean from the bed." Santana said, still very much amazed by the beauty in front of her, her smile only widening when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind and she leaned back, inhaling the ocean breeze and slowly letting it out, contentment overtaking her entire body.

Quinn rested her chin on Santana's shoulder, the two falling into a comfortable silence as they both took in their surroundings.

"Come on, let's unpack. I told everyone we'd meet them down by the pool." Quinn said, pressing a kiss to her cheek before she pulled away, "Mercedes and my sister should be here by now too."

Santana sighed, taking in the view for a few more minutes before turning to head inside, a goofy smile on her face the entire time she sauntered around the room and unpacked some of her things, her smile only growing when she entered the giant bathroom, screaming with joy.

"QUINN!"

Quinn jolted, her hand flying over her heart as it pounded due to Santana's sudden yell, quickly rushing to the bathroom to see what was going on, "What? Are you all right!?"

Santana spun around, her eyes wide with excitement, "Look at the size of that bathtub!"

"Jesus, Santana!" Quinn berated letting out a breath of relief, "Don't scream like that for no reason."

"No reason? Look at the size of that thing." Santana scoffed as her arms wrapped around Quinn's waist, her voice low and sultry, her eyes darkening with lust, "Baby, we are so taking a bath in there before the end of this trip."

Quinn smiled and leaned into her, allowing Santana to press kisses along her neck, "Okay, we will, we will. Come on, we have guests to greet and a wedding to prepare for. After tomorrow we'll have the rest of our lives to be romantic with each other."

"Okay." Santana said squeezing her close one last time and then pulling away, making sure to smack Quinn's ass as she growled, clearly still over excited that this was happening and this was her real life right now, "I fucking love you!" she cheered and then turned around to finish unpacking her toiletries.

"I love you too." Quinn sweetly replied with a giant smile and disappeared back out into the other room.

A few hours later Quinn and Santana headed down by the pool to find Rachel, Chloe, Judy, Santana's parents, Tina, Mike, Kurt, and Blaine. Among them were the new arrivals of Mercedes, Sam and Quinn's sister Frannie.

After a little bit of catching up, Santana pulled Quinn away and to a quiet place to talk.

"Quinn, I know you keep watching for him."

Quinn averted her eyes with a shake of her head, her shoulders slumping, "Fran already told me my dad wasn't coming. I just thought-" she rolled her watery eyes, "I guess one supportive parent is better than none, right?"

"Exactly, plus we don't want that kind of negativity at our wedding anyway." Santana said, reaching up to gently take her chin, turning her head so they were locking eyes, "Hey, I know you always wanted to be walked down the aisle..." she trailed as she checked the text message on her phone, "And there's still a way we can do that."

"How?" Quinn asked, "My mom?"

"Even better." Santana smiled, taking Quinn's hand and leading her to the lobby, "And he just arrived."

"San?" Quinn questioned, curious about what her fiancée was up to.

Santana pulled Quinn to a stop just as they entered the lobby, her hands on her shoulders as she explained, "Quinn, who has been the most supportive person in your entire high school life? No offense to mama Fabray over there, but even more supportive than her. Family doesn't always mean by blood."

Quinn let out a shaky breath and slowly nodded, "I know – so?"

"I heard a bride needs to be given away?"

Quinn's face lit up, peering over Santana's shoulders, tears suddenly stinging her eyes, "Mr. Schuester?" She looked at Santana and then back to the teacher as he slowly approached.

"Well?" He asked finally coming to a stop in front of them.

Quinn suddenly flung her arms around him, relishing in the warmth of his comforting embrace. The thoughtfulness Santana had to even think of having William Schuester walk her down the aisle and give her away setting her heart ablaze with love and the fact that he made the flight out here to do that for her caused tears to fall down her cheeks. Santana was right; it was Mr. Schuster who was always there for her, even when she didn't want to believe it. He was a friend and a father to that entire glee club and at this point in her life she would choose him over her father any day.

With a sniffle she pulled back, using the back of her hands to wipe at her wet eyes, "I would be honored if you walked me down the aisle and gave me away."

Santana smiled as she watched them and then playfully rolled her eyes, "Aw, you guys!" She cooed and then joined the hug, the three of them lightly laughing. Santana being the first to pull back, her arm slipping around Quinn's waist as the blonde leaned into her, "So where is the wifey?"

Will stepped back, shouldering his duffle bag, "Emma sends her warm wishes. This flight was way too long for her, you know tight spaces and people's germs, plus we thought it'd be easier if she stayed back with the kids." He explained. "We're going to plan a trip out to visit you guys though and then probably head to New York to see Rachel in her show."

"Sounds like a grand plan, Mr. Schue." Santana smiled. "So come on! I'm sure a certain Broadway star will be happy to see you, plus some of the other glee family."

Will smiled and followed Santana and Quinn back out by the pool, the other former glee club members greeting Mr. Schuester with cheers and hugs.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The next day Santana and Quinn stood at the threshold of their hotel room door, Judy and Frannie tugging Quinn inside, while Rachel and Chloe tried to tug Santana out.

"Okay, come on, you two are getting married in a few hours you can be with each other all you want after that!" Fran said, tugging on her sister's arm, "We have a dress to put on, hair to do and make up to apply."

Judy giggled with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she turned back into the room to go and look at the wedding dress again.

"See you soon." Quinn said with a dreamy look in her eyes, blushing lightly because of how uncharacteristic she felt. She obviously always had loving and caring feelings towards Santana, but now that it was her actual wedding day and she was marrying someone she was head over heels for, she couldn't help but be giddy and overly excited about it.

"I'll be waiting at the altar." Santana said and then pressed one last kiss to Quinn's lips before she finally allowed Rachel to pull her down the hallway.

A few hours later Santana stood barefoot in the white sand under a white wooden altar type arch, her dress light and lightly flowing in the breeze that was coming in off the ocean. She let out a slow breath as she peered out at the small group of people sitting before her, a nervous flutter entering her stomach, but a good one. She still couldn't believe she was getting married for a second time, only now as she stood there and waited for Quinn something felt different in one of the best ways. Things felt right and complete and even though she was in love with Brittany, being in love with Quinn and having her love her back was unlike anything she ever felt before. They used to fight and compete against each other and now they were fighting and competing _for_ each other.

An anxious wave overcame her as the music cued up, her eyes locking with Rachel's momentarily, the petite brunette offering a beaming smile and a nod of encouragement and then soon her eyes were on Quinn and suddenly all the air in her lungs vanished, awestruck by how beautiful she looked.

Quinn's smile only grew when her eyes locked with Santana's, taking careful strides as William Schuester walked her down the sandy aisle.

"I'm marrying a goddess." Santana whispered to herself, her gaze never breaking Quinn's as she slowly approached her.

Quinn let out a blissful breath as Mr. Schuester came to a stop, giving her hand a squeeze and then pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you for this." Quinn whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek, tears in her eyes as she pulled away and finally stood across from Santana, a new chapter of her life about to begin, beyond grateful that she was getting to share it with Santana.

After the "I do's" were said and everything was official, the celebrations began. A bar was set up on the beach, food, drinks lounge chairs and music.

The night ending with Santana and Quinn slow dancing on the beach, their feet dipping into the wet sand as the waves crashed over their feet, the sun setting in the background, everything around them disappearing as they only focused on each other and how happy they were.

"Santana, we're married." Quinn whispered with a smile, her eyes lidded as her body swayed in time with Santana's.

Santana smiled, pulling Quinn closer, "Mmhm."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Quinn."

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

The next morning, Mercedes, Rachel and Tina knocked on the newlywed's door, smiling brightly when Quinn answered.

"We're heading down to the beach if you two want to accompany us." Rachel informed her.

"Unless, you know, you're preoccupied." Tina smirked.

Quinn bit her bottom lip to hold back a sly smile, looking over her shoulder to watch as a naked Santana entered the bathroom. She turned back to her friends and nodded, "Let me just go get _my_ wife and then _my_ wife and I will meet you down there."

Mercedes lightly laughed, "Oh, someone is excited to be married." She teased, "All right, just don't be too nasty in there and come get some fresh air. We're in Hawaii after all!"

"And we all know how amazing _my_ wife will look in a bikini." Quinn grinned and then waved, "See you on the beach!" and with that she closed the door and headed in search of _her wife_.

Not long after everyone was gathered down by the beach, swimming, relaxing and soaking in the sun. Quinn smiled as she sipped her margarita, watching as Santana and Chloe bickered while they built a sandcastle.

"Stop looking at her." Santana mumbled with a pout, ready to throw sand at her, "You two despised each other, what changed?"

Chloe shrugged as she looked up, waving to Rachel and then turning back to smooth out some of the sand, "The night we all went out together. Rachel's cute and when she goes off on one of her rants, it's sexy."

"No me gusta!" Santana said pushing Chloe's part of the sandcastle over.

"Tu Perra!" Chloe shouted.

Quinn's eyes went wide and she sat up, watching the two Lopez women begin to yell at each other in Spanish, "Mmhm."

"What?" Mercedes asked lifting her head up from where it rested on her lounge chair, "Oh."

"Should we stop them?" Rachel asked with concern.

Quinn shook her head as she sucked back the rest of her drink, setting the empty glass down next to the three other empty ones. "Stop them? Let's throw some oil on them and have them wrestle it out."

Rachel's cheeks burned a bright red, gasping as she squeaked out, "Quinn!?"

"Mmm?" Quinn moaned, her eyebrow rising as Santana stood up, her muscles tense, Spanish sexily spewing from her kissable lips.

"Girl, what!?" Mercedes laughed and laid her head back down with a shake of her head.

Quinn suddenly stood up, wobbling a little, but once she caught her balance she cleared her throat, "Santana!"

Santana jolted, the sound of her name being called capturing her attention, "What?"

"Come here." Quinn demanded.

Chloe snickered, shoving at Santana before she could walk away, "Haha, you're married now. You're owned."

"Count your blessings." Santana said pointing a finger at her as she made her way over to Quinn, already defending herself, "She started it, Q!"

Quinn's arms wrapped around Santana's waist, pressing a few kisses along her neck until her lips were hovering over her ear, "I've been watching you all day wearing a barley there bikini and to top it off your fierce side just came out and I am living for it. So what are you going to do about it?"

Santana pleasantly shivered, pulling back slightly to look at her, her smile just about reaching from ear to ear, "Why, hello there, _tequila drunk Quinn_."

Quinn nodded, "She wants to go back to the room."

"Anything for my tequila drunk wife." Santana grinned, making sure to turn around and shoot Chloe the finger before letting Quinn guide her back up to the hotel.

After Quinn and Santana spent the rest of the afternoon in their hotel suite together, everyone headed back down to the beach to have dinner and then a bonfire, sharing stories and singing songs, Quinn and Santana happily nestled against each other, watching as Judy and Mr. And Mrs. Lopez got along content and pleased that they were a family now. Kurt and Blaine were cuddly, Mike had found his way back to Tina, Sam and Mercedes were hitting it off again, Mr. Schuester and Fannie were sharing pictures of their families who couldn't make the trip taking comfort in each other due to the fact that they were both missing spouses and children back home, and lastly Santana's eyes narrowed in on Chloe and Rachel unsure what was happening between those two, mixed feelings overcoming her, but ultimately everyone was smiling and having a great time, so Santana let it slide and leaned into Quinn some more, relaxing and enjoying the rest of the evening with their friends and family and most importantly her wife.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

 ** _One year later..._**

Santana bustled around the kitchen as she chopped vegetables and mixed ingredients, a turkey in the oven, dessert in the fridge, hurrying to get everything prepared before their guests arrived.

"Sexy." Quinn smiled as she entered the kitchen wearing a football hoodie, Santana finally coming to a stop to glare at her, "What?"

"How cliché is this?" Santana rolled her eyes, "It's Thanksgiving and I'm cooking while you're watching football."

Quinn sauntered over, her arms slipping around Santana's waist from behind, peering over her shoulder to see what she was cooking, "You're the surprise expert. I'm letting you do your thing." She pressed a kiss to her temple before pulling away to head to the fridge. "It smells great by the way."

"Thank you." Santana mumbled and went back to work, "I hope mami arrives soon to help me finish."

"Everyone said they'd be here by 1." Quinn replied grabbing a drink and then went to hover over some of the appetizers.

"Those are for when the guests arrive."

Quinn's eyebrows creased with confusion, licking her lips, "Can't I taste test?"

"When the guests arrive."

"One taste."

"Quinn."

Quinn reached out grabbing a cracker.

"Quinn Fabray."

Quinn smiled as she dunked the cracker in some dip.

"Quinn Fabray!"

"That's not my last name. There for that's not my name." Quinn declared as she popped the cracker in her mouth and triumphantly chewed.

"Get out of my kitchen, Quinn _Lopez_!" Santana demanded, pointing in the direction of the living room. "Fuera!"

Quinn lightly laughed, "Adiós!" She called quickly disappearing out of sight.

A few hours later after everyone arrived and dinner was served and eaten, everyone sat around the table quietly talking as they waited to have dessert.

After Quinn and Santana cleared off some of the table, the two entered the dining room and stood at the head of the table.

"Before dessert we just wanted to share something with you guys." Quinn said as her hand fell into Santana's, their fingers lacing together.

Santana waited until everyone's attention was on her, smiling at the sight of her close group of friends, even though Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, Tina, Mike and even Chloe all lived in New York City they still made the journey to join them for the holiday in Boston and her smile only grew when her eyes landed on her own parents and Judy Fabray, all of them waiting eagerly for what they had to share.

"So, after a long grueling process..." Santana began, with a clear of her throat, nerves rushing over her, calming a little when she felt Quinn's hand slide under her shirt and rest on her belly, "It's official...I'm pregnant."

Judy, Maribel and Rachel were the first to jump up and rush over to the couple, Mr. Lopez clapping while everyone else cheered, hugs being exchanged and laughter filling the house.

"I'm three months." Santana informed them as she leaned into Quinn, letting out a content breath.

"I am going to spoil my grandbaby to the max." Mrs. Lopez gushed as she sat in a chair in front of Santana, her hands on her daughter's stomach, "Oh, Sani! I am so happy for you."

"Me too, Mami."

Santana smiled tears streaming down her face, Rachel coming over to place her hand on a part of Santana's stomach that wasn't covered by Maribel's, "And I'm going to be the best Auntie." She lowered to the ground so she was eye-level with Santana's stomach, "We're going to sing and dance and I'm going to teach you about all the best Broadway shows."

"Aye." Santana playfully rolled her eyes.

Quinn smiled, leaning her head against Santana's, "This baby is going to be so loved."

 ** _Later that night..._**

"So, Quinn?" Santana began as she settled under the covers, laying her head back against the pillows, watching as Quinn pulled on a sleep shirt and then shut the lights off and crawled into bed.

"Yeah, baby?" Quinn wearily asked, pressing a kiss to Santana's lips before resting her head on her pillow, her hand gently splaying over Santana's stomach.

Santana relaxed into the mattress, letting out a giddy breath, "When are we going to tell them I'm having twins?"

Quinn grinned and lifted her head up, the kiss she pressed to Santana's lips lingering this time. She cupped her cheek, brushing her thumb gently back and forth as she answered, "I'm thinking Christmas."

"I love it." Santana nodded, pecking her lips and then rolled on her side, wanting to be held, "I love you, Quinn."

Quinn molded herself into Santana's back, her arm draping over her side, her hand once again resting protectively over Santana's stomach, holding her close and keeping her warm. "I love you too, Santana."

 **The End**

* * *

 **1) Thank you SO much to everyone who has read/reviewed/favoured/followed this story. It means so much to me you have no idea. The feedback and awesome reviews were greatly appreciated and definitely kept me motivated. Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **2) Yes, there will probably be a sequel. Pregnant Santana obviously needs to be written! and it's the next chapter of their life together. I feel like it could be an interesting story.**

 **3) How do you all feel about Rachel/OC (OC being Chloe) I wanted to give her a love interest, but if it's not Pezberry or sometimes Faberry, I don't like Rachel with anyone lol! I have a whole backstory for Chloe ready to go for the sequel - unless you guys aren't down with that then maybe I'll bring in... Jesse? I just feel like now that Quinntana is happily married and living in Boston, Rachel deserves some love too.**

 **Okay - that's all! Thank you again for all the feedback and sticking with this story till the end!**

 **xoxo -**


End file.
